There are lots of radioactive consumer products (RCP), which contain radioactive materials, in our living space. When the radioactive sources in RCP are natural materials, they are called NORM (naturally occurring radioactive materials). Recently many NORM are sold through the Internet. In Japan, these NORM claim hormesis effects, minus-ion effects, infrared-ray effects and so on. Makers claim these products are healthful for users. I found that their home pages (HP) are linked to one HP which presents the effects of irradiation by low energy γ(X)-ray on cells and/or small-size animals. However, the effects that people consider healthful have not been examined with the products themselves; the idea that these effects are indeed healthful is generally accepted by the public, though no actual evidence for each product exists. Almost all these products have no problems legally. However, some of them, for example, cosmetics prohibited in the EU because they contain radioactive materials, are accepted as NORM in Japan. There are no prohibitions to add radioactive materials to products in Japan. There are only density and quantity limits when adding radioactive materials to consumer products. Do these products need the addition of radioactive materials? Is there any risk to people from radiation exposure by normal use or misuse? We need to discuss the presence of these products, the risk and their justification.

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To facilitate the corporate activities for the integrated chemical management, we developed an evaluation indicator and have been continuing survey based on it. The indicator consists of three horizontal axes (SCP axes, i.e. Science axis, Capacity axis and Performance axis) and four longitudinal axes (evaluation elements, i.e. hazard assessment, exposure assessment, risk assessment and risk management). In conducting the survey of year 2007, we compared the indicator to the Global Plan of Action of the SAICM. As a result, four individual management aspects (i.e. the safety for workers, consumers, the public and the environment) were added to the Performance axis so as to harmonize with the Global Plan of Action.
According to the analysis of 224 valid answers obtained through the survey with the improved indicator, the achievement level was same as last year. Concerning the newly added individual aspects in the Performance axis, the overall level was low and the consideration of the safety for workers, consumers and the public was lower than for the environment.
The result of the interannual variability analysis from year 2005 to year 2007 suggested that the corporate activities for the integrated chemical management are polarizing to two trends, i.e. increasing or decreasing trends.

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We have been continuously executed the questionnaire survey since 2003 in order to understand the current state of the integrated chemicals management systems in Japanese companies. In this report the result of the survey in 2007 is reported. We have been reporting the result in two ways since 2006. One is an outline that analyzes the overall situation of the integrated chemicals management systems, and the other is a report that analyzes the activity of the individual company. This report is the latter.
The companies selected from Rubber & Chemicals, Electric Appliances, Machinery-related industries, wholesale & Retail and Foods business were analyzed by the technique similar to year 2006. The entire tendency and the feature of each company were clarified by the analysis of the achievement levels. The features and the problems of each company were clarified by confirming the factors of high and low of the achievement levels. In addition, the suggestion regarding the concrete corrective strategy was obtained referring to the content in the questions and the answers. From these results, it is concluded that this evaluation indicator system will be used for the self-diagnosis and the improvement activity by the companies. And the achievements of some items like GHS Classification were compared between year 2006 and 2007 in order to understand the change of the activity. A part of improvement was admitted in some companies though there was no change in the situation in the majority of companies.

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A draft report of the co-committee on the periodical review of the Chemicals Evaluation and Regulation Act in Japan was made public for the invitation of public comments recently. We investigated it carefully and compared to the draft framework for the law on integrated management of chemicals we had proposed previously.
We point out here that it will be a new barrier against the regulatory reform to revise the act to the direction described in the draft report and that Japanese situations will be isolated more and more from not only Europe and USA but also the surrounding countries in Asia.

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The 23rd Screening Information Data Set (SIDS) Initial Assessment Meeting (SIAM 23) was held in Jeju, hosted by Korea. The initial assessment documents of two substances (CAS numbers: 88-09-5, 111-41-1) at SIAM 23 were submitted by the Japanese Government with or without the International Council of Chemical Associations (ICCA) and all of them were agreed at the meeting. SIAM 24 was held at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) headquarters in Paris, France. The initial assessment documents of two substances (CAS numbers: 88-85-7, Mixture of 110-30-5, 5136-44-7, 5518-18-3) and one substance (CAS: 7782-63-0) as a member of a chemical category (iron salts and their hydrates) at SIAM 24 were submitted by the Japanese Government with or without ICCA and all of them were agreed at the meeting. In this report, the documents of these substances are introduced.

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The 26th SIDS (Screening Information Data Set) Initial Assessment Meeting was held in Paris, France on 16th-18th April 2008. The initial assessment documents of 24 substances were discussed, and the results of initial assessment and the recommendation for 12 substances were approved at the meeting. The Japanese Government submitted the initial assessment documents for two substances, benzoic acid, 4-methyl- (CAS: 99-94-5) prepared by the Japanese Government and sodium sulfite (CAS: 7757-83-7) prepared by International Council of Chemical Association (ICCA), and both documents were approved at the meeting. This paper reports the summary of the 26th SIDS Initial Assessment Meeting.

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