Chemicals are used in all industrial sectors as well as in households in everyday life. They appear in chemical products such as paint and washing powder, and as components in items such as furniture, food, electronic equipment, clothes and toys. It is a daunting task to control the use and disposal of the very high number of chemicals in use in order to reduce the risks of hazardous exposure. Developing countries and those with economies in transition are experiencing a rapid growth in chemical production and use. At the same time, legislation and regulations on chemicals management, as well as...
While Tanzania produces certain chemicals for domestic use, most of the chemicals used in industry, agriculture, and households are imported. In 2002, the national profile to assess the national infrastructure for managing chemicals was updated (The United Republic of Tanzania 2002). This document gives a thorough overview of the challenges Tanzania faced in terms of national chemicals management in 2002. Today, Tanzania’s chemical management context is still characterized by increasing imports of chemicals, exposure of humans and the environment to hazardous chemicals, low levels of awareness among users of the dangers of chemicals or of safety practices, and weak coordination...
In the interviews, Tanzanian stakeholders identified what they saw as the most significant current chemical problems in the country (see Table 3). They pointed to issues from a range of different sectors and chemical uses, including mining, wood, oil and gas, the food industry and the agricultural sector. These are discussed below
The mining industry is growing rapidly, and is becoming one of the main users of chemicals in the country (GCLA 2014). Tanzania has become one of the largest producers of gold in Africa (Daily News 2013c). One major problem has been the traditional use of mercury in small...
Possible SAICM contributions to each of the most pressing chemical problems presented in section 1 are discussed below, followed by a summary of the strengthening of overall chemicals management during SAICM implementation.
The mining sector: Interviewees reported that putting SAICM into action has improved chemicals management in the mining sector (both under the pilot project and in the QSP project on accident prevention and preparedness). The new registry of cyanide use, and new national guidelines for chemical transports, have both had an impact.
Although chemical risks to health and environment remain in small and medium-scale mining operations, both government and...
This project aimed to find out whether SAICM has contributed to on-the-ground improvements in chemical safety in Tanzania in line with the 2020 goal and, if so, how? We found that SAICM implementation has contributed to an improved situation for several of today’s most pressing chemical problems, but that many challenges remain. Several improvements were reported in the mining sector, mainly in chemicals management in large and medium-sized mining enterprises. Regulation of transports of hazardous substances to mining areas has been tightened and there is now a requirement to register any use of cyanide for mining. One example of risk...