Notification of adverse health effects due to chemicals: two different ways in Germany.
The reporting of adverse health effects caused by chemical substances is regulated in Germany by the Ordinance on Industrial Diseases and the Chemical Substances Act. This retrospective analysis is based on the latest available annual reports for the year 1993, published by the Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Order, the Employers' Liability Insurance Associations and the Federal Institute of Consumer Health Protection and Veterinary Medicine. The list of occupational diseases (first published in 1925) currently includes diseases caused by a group of 27 chemicals. In 1993 there were 3,835 (3.5%) reported cases of suspected intoxication. Chemical substances caused 1.5% of all occupational accidents. In addition to this traditional procedure, it has even been necessary for physicians to report intoxications and diseases due to household chemicals and diseases attributed to environmental causes since 1990. Nation-wide 805 cases were registered in 1993. These figures reflect different legal conditions and show various outcomes. A result of this synopsis is, that the chemical industry in this country copes with the specific dangers of its trade, as accidents by fall and diseases due to physical effects are predominant. The applied preventive measures prove their value and are effective. Special attention should be paid to the correct use of chemicals by consumers and the risks for children.