The German Institute for Occupational Safety and Health of the German Social
Accident Insurance (IFA) has launched a new database of Derived No-Effect
Levels (DNELs): the GESTIS DNEL database. This database has been set up upon
request of the German Social Accident Insurance Institutions and with their
specialised support.

According to the EU Regulation concerning the Registration, Evaluation,
Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH), DNELs are levels of
exposure to a substance above which humans should not be exposed and have to be
established by manufacturers and importers. Derived from the human health
hazard assessment as part of the REACH requirements, they are exposure levels
below which it is considered that adverse effects will not occur for a
particular route and duration and frequency of exposure.

DNELs are available from the website of the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA)
within the published registration data of the substance concerned. The access
to the DNELs is therefore not direct. The GESTIS DNEL database provides a,
easy-to-use, user-friendly interface to search for and retrieve DNELs, which
are important tools for the occupational risk assessment.

This database of DNELs is part of the group of GESTIS-Substance Database,
currently comprising eight databases operated at the German Social Accident
Insurance (Deutsche Gesetzliche Unfallversicherung - DGUV). GESTIS is a joint
project of the German Social Accident Insurance Institutions aimed at
establishing and using a network of centralised and decentralised files on
harmful substances. This network forms the basis of an information system
intended to efficiently support the preventive activities of the Social
Accident Insurance and their member companies and thus promote health
protection at workplaces where hazardous substances are handled.

More information

AplusA-online.de - Source: European Agency for Safety and Health at Work