Samoa national chemicals management strategy : 2008 - 2010 (draft)

Abstract

A 1 MINISTRY OF NATURAL RESOURCES & ENVIRONMENT Draft NATIONAL CHEMICALS MANAGEMENT STRATEGY 2008-2018 Introduction The use of chemicals has become indispensable in many development activities in Samoa particularly in agriculture, health, education and industry. According to the Department of Statistics Samoa expended about $60 million in 2006 for the procurement of chemicals as well as another $122 million spent to import petroleum products. While there is growing national need for chemicals they can also cause health and environmental problems if not effectively controlled. This National Chemicals Management Strategy 2007-2017 (NCMS) provides a framework for the sustainable management of all chemicals through the various stages during their life-cycle – procurement, transportation, storage, distribution, use and waste disposal. Chemicals are widely distributed in the environment. Therefore, there are many possible sources of exposure to these chemicals for humans. Chemicals can ente