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Have your say – linking NICNAS public reports to Inventory chemical records
Consultation closes
What’s this about?
We’d like your thoughts on a proposal to provide direct links to NICNAS* assessment reports from about 700 online chemical records of the Australian Inventory of Industrial Chemicals (the Inventory). These would display similarly to AICIS assessment and evaluation statements links that are currently on Inventory chemical records.
The purpose is to improve access to assessment information, when the terms of Inventory listing include a ‘specific information requirement’.
Importantly, we would not disclose any protected information, such as protected chemical names and CAS numbers.
*The National Industrial Chemicals Notification and Assessment Scheme (NICNAS) was the former scheme that AICIS replaced on 1 July 2020.
What is a specific information requirement?
A specific information requirement (SIR) is an Inventory term of listing. Only around 10% of the chemicals on the Inventory have a SIR term of listing. The purpose of the SIR is to ensure that AICIS is given information that may indicate a new or increased risk associated with a chemical introduction, compared with risks that NICNAS or AICIS identified through an assessment or evaluation.
Learn more about specific information requirements
Which reports would be linked and which wouldn’t?
This proposal applies to about 700 chemicals on the Inventory that have the chemical’s CAS number and/or chemical name included in the NICNAS assessment reports. For each of these chemical records, we propose to add a link to its NICNAS report, so that users can open the document directly from the Inventory chemical record, without the need to undertake a separate assessment search.
To maintain existing information protections, if a NICNAS report does not contain a CAS number or chemical name, we would not link it to any Inventory chemical record.
Direct links are not proposed for most polymers of low concern (PLC)
For most chemicals that NICNAS assessed as a PLC, we would not add report links in chemical records. This is primarily because for most chemicals assessed as PLCs under NICNAS, the SIR only applies if the polymer will be introduced in a form that does not meet our PLC criteria. In this situation, the introducer or their chemical supplier do not need to view the NICNAS report. Instead, they should read the PLC criteria on our website or use the PLC decision tool to work out if the chemical meets the criteria.
Consultation closes
Have your say
We propose to add NICNAS report links to the Inventory chemical records of about 15 polymers that were assessed as a PLC.
These reports include the polymer’s CAS number or chemical name, and the SIR is broader than the standard PLC criteria.
For example, there could also be a requirement to provide human health exposure information in certain circumstances.
Why are we proposing this change?
NICNAS reports are not currently linked to any chemical record and users must find them on our website by searching our assessment database. By adding direct links to the reports, it will be easier and faster for introducers and chemical suppliers to find the information they need when the Inventory terms of listing include a SIR.
This proposal is part of our ongoing work exploring options to simplify SIR compliance for listed introductions.
What will happen after the consultation closes?
We will review all feedback. If this proposal proceeds, we will add links to NICNAS reports from online Inventory chemical records in mid-2025. The timing would align with other planned chemical record improvements, which aim to make it easier for users to understand and access the information that they need.