The Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals. A system for standardizing and harmonizing the classification and labeling of chemicals. It is a logical and comprehensive approach to: (1) Defining health, physical and environmental hazards of chemicals; (2) Creating classification processes that use available data on chemicals for comparison with the defined hazard criteria; and (3) Communicating hazard information, as well as protective measures, on labels and Safety Data Sheets (SDS). Many countries already have regulatory systems in place for these types of requirements. These systems may be similar in content and approach, but their differences are significant enough to require multiple classifications, labels and safety data sheets for the same product when marketed in different countries, or even in the same country when parts of the life cycle are covered by different regulatory authorities. This leads to inconsistent protection for those potentially exposed to the chemicals, as well as creating extensive regulatory burdens on companies producing chemicals For example, in the United.States (U.S.) there are requirements for classification and labeling of chemicals for the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the Department of Transportation, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. The GHS itself is not a regulation or a standard. The GHS Document (referred to as The Purple Book) establishes agreed hazard classification and communication provisions with explanatory information on how to apply the system. The elements in the GHS supply a mechanism to meet the basic requirement of any hazard communication system, which is to decide if the chemical product produced and/or supplied is hazardous and to prepare a label and/or Safety Data Sheet as appropriate. Regulatory authorities in countries adopting the GHS will thus take the agreed criteria and provisions, and implement them through their own regulatory process and procedures rather than simply incorporating the text of the GHS into their national requirements. Why was the GHS developed? The production and use of chemicals is fundamental to all economies. The global chemical business is more than a $1.7 trillion per year enterprise. In the U.S., chemicals are more than a $450 billion business and exports are greater than $80 billion per year. Chemicals directly or indirectly affect our lives and are essential to our food, our health, and our lifestyle. The widespread use of chemicals has resulted in the development of sector-specific regulations (transport, production, workplace, agriculture, trade, and consumer products). Having readily available information on the hazardous properties of chemicals, and recommended control measures, allows the production, transport, use and disposal of chemicals to be managed safely. Thus, human health and the environment are protected. The sound management of chemicals should include systems through which chemical hazards are identified and communicated to all who are potentially exposed. These groups include workers, consumers, emergency responders and the public. It is important to know what chemicals are present and/or used, their hazards to human health and the environment, and the means to control them. A number of classification and labeling systems, each addressing specific use patterns and groups of chemicals, exist at the national, regional and international levels. The existing hazard classification and labeling systems address potential exposure to chemicals in all the types of use settings listed above. While the existing laws and regulations are similar, they are different enough to require multiple labels for the same product both within the US and in international trade and to require multiple safety data sheets for the same product in international trade. Several US regulatory agencies and various countries have different requirements for hazard definitions as well as for information to be included on labels or material safety data sheets