Hazardous substances are dangerous substances and mixtures within the meaning of the Chemicals Act (Law on the Protection from Hazardous Substances – ChemG) which have at least one of the following properties:
- Physical hazards in accordance with Annex I, Part 2 of the CLP Regulation
- Health hazards in accordance with Annex I, Part 3 of the CLP Regulation
- Environmental hazards in accordance with Annex I, Part 4 and Part 5 of the CLP Regulation
In addition, substances which were assigned an occupational exposure limit value are also counted as hazardous substances. The term “hazardous substance” is broad and also includes all substances, mixtures and products which themselves release hazardous substances during manufacture or use. All substances, mixtures and products which can endanger the health and safety of employees due to their physico-chemical, chemical or toxic properties are also considered to be hazardous substances. Similarly, there is also a generalised definition for the environmental hazard, which states that substances or mixtures are hazardous to the environment and therefore hazardous substances if they “themselves or their transformation products are otherwise capable of altering the condition of the ecosystem, of water, soil or air, climate, animals, plants or micro-organisms in such a way that they can cause risks for the environment, either immediately or at a later stage.” Source: Law on the Protection from Hazardous Substances (Chemicals Act – ChemG), status 07-2017