Toxic chemicals
Certain types of chemical substances and mixtures can be used for non-peaceful purposes if they fall into the wrong hands.
Therefore, there is a requirement for safe storage and a duty to report theft of toxic substances and mixtures as well as substances and mixtures labeled with severe long-term effects.
The Danish regulations on safe storage and theft reporting of toxic chemicals are part of the government’s counter terrorism strategy. The purpose is to prevent accidents and to increase the security of companies that store and handle toxic chemicals.
The requirements are described in Danish in:” Kemikalieloven (retsinformation.dk) and ” Giftbekendtgørelsen (retsinformation.dk)
Purchase - a special permit?
No, Aarhus University is exempt from using requisitions.
According to § 25 of the Act, purchases without a requisition are permitted when it is for scientific and technical laboratories and institutions run by the state, the regions, or the municipalities.
Definition of highly toxic and toxic substances and mixtures
Substances and mixtures classified and labelled under the CLP Regulation with:
H300 Fatal if swallowed
H301 Toxic if swallowed
H310 Fatal in contact with skin
H311 Toxic in contact with skin
H330 Fatal if inhaled
H331 Toxic if inhaled
and/or
H340 May cause genetic defects.
H350 May cause cancer.
H360 May damage fertility or the unborn child.
H370 Causes damage to organs*
* state all organs affected, if known and state route of exposure if it is conclusively proven that no other routes of exposure cause the hazard (ingestion, skin contact and/or inhalation).
Storage Requirements
Highly toxic and toxic substances and mixtures as well as substances and mixtures with serious long-term effects, must be stored securely, under lock and key, out of reach of children, and not together or close to food, feed, medicines or the like.
What are the available choices for locks?
- Lock the entire building.
- Lock the laboratory area.
- Lock the laboratory or the room or
- Lock the chemical cabinet.
How should signs be asigned?
For universities, it is required to have a warning sign on all doors to cabinets, laboratories, rooms, or similar spaces where substances and mixtures are stored.
- Example: Laboratory locked, the below sign is put on the door in to the laboratory.
- Example: Unlocked laboratory, the below sign is put on each chemical cabinets containing the above mentioned substances and mixtures.
The warning sign must be printed with a black border on a yellow background. |
Appointment of person responsible for toxic chemicals
Companies storing highly toxic and toxic substances or mixtures in a total quantity exceeding 125 ml and to which more than five persons have access must designate one or more persons who ensure, on behalf of the undertaking, that the storage of the substances and mixtures concerned is carried out in accordance with the rules and that unauthorised persons do not have access to the substances and mixtures concerned. You must keep track of how many persons have access to the toxic chemicals.
”Access” means that you have a key/access to the separate cabinet/toxic room/laboratory in which the toxic substances and mixtures are located.
If you have an extensive number of chemicals and have many employees or students who have access to the chemicals, then the task may require that you appoint more than one person to be responsible for the toxic substances.
Introduce procedures for where and how the chemicals are stored, who have access to the toxic chemicals, how loss/disappearance is detected, how access conditions are checked for both internal and external use, and procedures for observation of abnormal behavior regarding the highly toxic and toxic chemicals, by e.g., reporting observations to the person responsible for the toxic substances.
Report theft to the police
You must report it to the police if you have reason to suspect a break-in in the cupboard/room/laboratory where you store highly toxic and toxic substances and mixtures.
You must also report it if there is loss/disappearance that cannot be explained by ordinary use and disposal. There is no lower limit for when you must report suspected theft of toxic substances.
On the Danish Environmental Protection Agency’s website, you can see what a theft report must contain and read more about the topic Sikker opbevaring af gifte (mst.dk)
Table: overview of storage, person responsible for toxic substances and theft report:
Classification | H-phrases | Hazard | Storage under lock (§16) | Person responsible for toxi chemicals | Theft |
Acute Tox. 1 or | H300 Fatal if swallowed |
| YES | YES | YES |
Acute Tox. 3 | H301 Toxic if swallowed |
| YES | YES | YES |
Muta. 1A/1B | H340 May cause genetic defects |
| YES | YES | NO |
Carc. 1A/1B | H350 May cause cancer |
| YES | YES | NO |
Repr. 1A/1B | H360 May damage fertility or the unborn child |
| YES | YES | NO |
STOT SE 1 | H370 Cause damage to organs* |
| YES | YES | NO |
*state all organs affected, if known and state route of exposure if it is conclusively proven that no other routes of exposure cause the hazard (ingestion, skin contact and/or inhalation).