NORM stands for Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material. The existence of NORM as consumer products in our living-environment probably raises the opportunity of radiation exposure of us. In Japan, radioisotopes are exempted by the criteria in quantity and concentration by the Law Concerning Prevention of Radiation Hazards based on the International Basic Safety Standards (BSS). Furthermore, when the RI are naturally occurring radioactive materials without extraction from ores, their quantity and concentration are limited by the law of the Nuclear Reactor and Fuel Regulation Law. Moreover, "Guideline for Ensuring Safety of Raw Materials and Products Containing Uranium or Thorium" (Guideline) was taken effect in June, 2009. By the Guideline, an argument of "justification" of the radio-protection is not accomplished. Furthermore, whether the security from the useless radiation exposure in our living-environment can be secured by the Guideline is doubt. By comparing the effectiveness of the Guideline with the law of other countries, the issues of regulations of Japan to NORM are deliberated in this paper.

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We have continuously evaluated company’s activities related to integrated chemicals management since 2003. However, not only company but various sectors actually play important roles in the field of chemicals management as main players. Therefore, we evaluated activities of four sectors: companies, universities as organization training human resources, organization specialized in examination and evaluation of chemical hazard and risk, and government.
In this survey, we developed the evaluation indicator at first. The evaluation items are designed to be suitable for comparison of these four sectors. Then, on the basis of this indicator, we evaluated and compared activities of four sectors. Through this evaluation and comparison, it makes clear that each organization has to make efforts to build up capacity. And it shows direction of its improvement.

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Both the House of Representatives and the House of Councilors of Japan have made many supplementary resolutions about the adoption of the government bill for amending the Japanese law on the regulation of chemicals, of which the abbreviated name is Kashin-hou in Japanese. Many items in these resolutions can not be dealt with by the Kashin-hou because of its narrow regulatory roles. In other words, the Diet has called the government for the fulfillment of various international agreements, such as Agenda 21, SAICM and so on, in accordance with the global propagation of the chemicals integrated management. We here clarify problems in the Japanese government approaches towards the SAICM action plan and recommend the due procedural steps, in which a national profile is prepared first of all under the participation of various stakeholders and a national action plan be made, based on the recommendations in the national profile.

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We here deal with issues related to the new version of the Kashin-hou in Japanese and consider concrete and right ways of implementing the two most important items in the Diet's supplementary resolutions, which were explained on our prior report of the series. Concerning the issues related to the amended Kashin-hou, we picked up four points which are 1) not to be reconsidered the definition of chemical substance, 2) to be controlled biodegradable substances under the Kashin-hou strictly, and so on, and then we picked up two most important points of the Diet's supplementary resolutions which are 1) the consideration of how to realize integrated or unified regulatory systems and 2) the clarification of national responsibility about the fulfillment of international agreements and its concrete schedule, and propose concrete or right ways from the point of the integrated management of chemicals, referring to the advanced achievement in Canada.

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The 25th Screening Information Data Set (SIDS) Initial Assessment Meeting (SIAM 25) was held in Helsinki, hosted by Finland. The initial assessment documents of 1,3-di-o-tolylguanidine (CAS number: 97-39-2) were submitted by the Japanese Government without the collaboration with International Council of Chemical Associations (ICCA). SIAM 26 was held at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) headquarters in Paris, France. The initial assessment documents of two substances, p-toluic acid (CAS number: 99-94-5) and sodium sulfite (CAS number: 7757-83-7) were submitted by the Japanese Government with or without the collaboration with ICCA. All SIDS Initial Assessment Profiles (SIAPs) of the substances were agreed at the meetings. In this report, the documents of these substances are introduced.

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The 28th SIDS (Screening Information Data Set) Initial Assessment Meeting was held in Paris, France on 15th-17th April, 2009. The initial assessment documents of 29 substances (31 CAS) were discussed, and the conclusions of initial assessment for 28 substances (29 CAS) were approved at the meeting. The Japanese Government submitted the initial assessment documents for three substances, 2-(1-methylethoxy)ethanol (CAS: 109-59-1) and Fluorescent-271 (CAS: 41267-43-0) prepared by the Japanese Government and 2-tert-butyl-6-(5-chloro-2H-benzotriazol-2-yl)-4-methylphenol (CAS: 3896-11-5) prepared by International Council of Chemical Association (ICCA), and all of them were approved at the meeting. This paper reports the summary of the 28th SIDS Initial Assessment Meeting.

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