The chemical industry and international cooperation to manage chemical risks: facts and figures

摘要

We live in a chemical world. Man-made chemicals are found in almost every product we use or consume. Global chemicals production in 1930 was about 1 million tonnes; today it is something like 400 million tonnes. Global chemicals output last year was estimated at close to 2000 billion US dollars.~1 The 25 EU Member States make up the world's largest single chemicals producing region (34 percent of total sales in 2003). Two-thirds of global chemical production takes place in Europe and the United States (Figure 1). The EU is the leading chemicals exporter and importer, accounting for half of all global trade. The largest chemical trading regions are the EU, Asia and North America. Between 1998 and 2003, chemicals production grew more strongly in the EU than in either the US or Japan (2.7 percent per year, compared with 0.7 percent and 1.3 percent, respectively, in those countries) (Figure 2). In this period there was very strong growth in the "emerging" countries (e.g. India and China). Many different manufacturing and processing activities take place in the chemical industry. A very large share of products (up to one-third) continue to be processed within the industry. Consumer products may not be marketed until they have undergone several processing stages.