Bosnia and Herzegovina: Ten Useful Links for Navigating Chemical Legislation

Clients and colleagues often ask me where they can find information about chemicals. They're unsure which sources are reliable.

Here are ten links that I find very useful. I use some of them almost every day:

1. European Chemicals Agency (ECHA): Information on Chemicals

With a simple search by CAS, EC number, or substance name, you can search all ECHA databases. You'll get all the official, publicly available information about the substance you're interested in, all in one place.

2. European Chemicals Agency (ECHA): EU Classification and Labelling Inventory

This database contains information on the classification and labelling of substances that have been notified and registered by manufacturers and importers.

3. European Chemicals Agency (ECHA): EU Chemicals Legislation Finder

EUCLEF (EU Chemicals Legislation Finder) provides an overview of EU chemicals legislation. You can search for information on your substances, find applicable regulations, and check what obligations you might have.

4. European Chemicals Agency (ECHA): Guidance on REACH

Here you can find a list of all guides that clarify and facilitate the implementation of the REACH regulation (the key EU regulation on chemicals).

5. European Chemicals Agency (ECHA): Guidance on CLP

Here you can find guides to help implement the CLP regulation (the key EU regulation on classification and labelling of chemicals).

6. European Chemicals Agency (ECHA): Registered Substances

This link provides access to data from dossiers submitted to ECHA during the substance registration process. You can search by substance identifiers as well as administrative data (e.g., REACH number).

7. European Chemicals Agency (ECHA): Poison Centre

This page is particularly interesting for companies placing their products on the EU market. It provides information on UFI codes that must be assigned to all hazardous mixtures placed on the EU market. It also includes instructions for the industry on how to prepare adequate submissions with product information (PCN submissions).

8. UNECE: GHS Pictograms

"Where can we find pictograms" is one of the most common questions I receive. On this page, you can find everything you need about pictograms.

9. Ministry of Health and Social Welfare of the Republic of Srpska: Laws and Regulations

On this page, you can find all the laws and regulations in the field of chemicals that are in force in the Republic of Srpska. This page can also be helpful if you are expecting new chemical regulations to be enacted – it will prepare you for what's coming.

10. Ministry of Health and Social Welfare of the Republic of Srpska: Documents

This link provides access to guidelines for the application of chemical regulations (Guidelines and Notices), necessary forms (Forms 2018), extracts from registers and inventories (Lists), and more.

I hope these links will be useful to you as well.