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Managing exposure to chemicals

The summary Figure shows the proportion of indicator components for which ‘Managing exposure to chemicals is the primary goal that have been assigned to each assessment category, with the exact number of indicator components shown as a label on the bars.

There are 3 indicators comprising of 11 components in total with this primary goal. Indicator H4 (Exposure of wildlife to chemicals in the environment in England) does not currently present information as the time series needed for applying the standard Outcome Indicator Framework assessment method. The 2 components of indicator H3a (Emissions of mercury to air land and water in England) do not yet have a sufficiently long time series for an assessment of any trend, but indicator H3b (Emissions of persistent organic pollutants to air land and water in England) could be assessed. All 7 of the pollutants measured by this indicator showed an improvement over the long term. Most have also shown medium and short-term improvements, however, emissions of hexachlorobenzene showed little or no change over the medium term and increased over the short term, and emissions of polychlorinated naphthalenes also increased over the short term. The final indicator with the primary goal of managing exposure to chemicals (J5: Prevent harmful chemicals from being recycled) showed improvements over the short, medium and long-term assessment periods.

Summary of assessment results - Managing exposure to chemicals

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Assessment results - Managing exposure to chemicals

Indicator component assessed Short term Medium term Long term
H3a Emissions of mercury from crematoria to air land and water, England Not assessed Not assessed Not assessed
H3a Emissions of mercury from larger industrial sites to air land and water, England Not assessed Not assessed Not assessed
H3b Emissions of dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyl to air, land and water, England Improvement Improvement Improvement
H3b Emissions of dioxins and furans to air, land and water, England Improvement Improvement Improvement
H3b Emissions of hexachlorobenzene to air, land and water, England Deterioration Little or no change Improvement
H3b Emissions of pentachlorobenzine to air, land and water, England Improvement Improvement Improvement
H3b Emissions of pentachlorophenol to air, land and water, England Improvement Improvement Improvement
H3b Emissions of polychlorinated biphenyl to air, land and water, England Improvement Improvement Improvement
H3b Emissions of polychlorinated naphthalenes to air, land and water, England Deterioration Improvement Improvement
H4 Exposure of wildlife to chemicals in the environment in England and for some marine components in the UK Not assessed Not assessed Not assessed
J5 Total bank of in-use polychlorinated biphenyls remaining in the UK Improvement Improvement Improvement
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Potential links - Managing exposure to chemicals

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Potential links - Managing exposure to chemicals

Primary goal From Indicator To Indicator Correlation Rationale
Managing exposure to chemicals H3 Emissions of mercury and persistent organic pollutants to the environment H4 Exposure and adverse effects of chemicals on wildlife in the environment Positive H3 includes exposure to POPs and mercury.
Managing exposure to chemicals H3 Emissions of mercury and persistent organic pollutants to the environment B1 Pollution loads entering waters Positive B1 includes levels of mercury.
Managing exposure to chemicals H3 Emissions of mercury and persistent organic pollutants to the environment G7 Health and wellbeing benefits Negative POPs are chemicals that remain intact in the environment for long periods, become widely distributed geographically, accumulate in the tissues of humans and wildlife, and have harmful impacts on human health or on the environment. Mercury is toxic and can cause damage to human health and accumulates in the environment and the food chain.
Managing exposure to chemicals H4 Exposure and adverse effects of chemicals on wildlife in the environment D4 Relative abundance and distribution of widespread species Negative POPs are chemicals that remain intact in the environment for long periods, become widely distributed geographically, accumulate in the tissues of humans and wildlife, and have harmful impacts on human health or on the environment. Mercury is toxic and can cause damage to human health and accumulates in the environment and the food chain.
Managing exposure to chemicals H4 Exposure and adverse effects of chemicals on wildlife in the environment D5 Conservation status of our native species Negative POPs are chemicals that remain intact in the environment for long periods, become widely distributed geographically, accumulate in the tissues of humans and wildlife, and have harmful impacts on human health or on the environment. Mercury is toxic and can cause damage to human health and accumulates in the environment and the food chain.
Managing exposure to chemicals H4 Exposure and adverse effects of chemicals on wildlife in the environment D6 Abundance and distribution of priority species in England Negative POPs are chemicals that remain intact in the environment for long periods, become widely distributed geographically, accumulate in the tissues of humans and wildlife, and have harmful impacts on human health or on the environment. Mercury is toxic and can cause damage to human health and accumulates in the environment and the food chain.
Managing exposure to chemicals H4 Exposure and adverse effects of chemicals on wildlife in the environment D7 Species supporting ecosystem functions Negative POPs are chemicals that remain intact in the environment for long periods, become widely distributed geographically, accumulate in the tissues of humans and wildlife, and have harmful impacts on human health or on the environment. Mercury is toxic and can cause damage to human health and accumulates in the environment and the food chain.
Managing exposure to chemicals J5 Prevent harmful chemicals from being recycled H3 Emissions of mercury and persistent organic pollutants to the environment Negative Harmful chemicals measured in J5 include POPs.
Managing exposure to chemicals J5 Prevent harmful chemicals from being recycled H4 Exposure and adverse effects of chemicals on wildlife in the environment Negative Harmful chemicals measured in J5 include POPs and PCBs and H4 measures the effects of these on wildlife.
Managing exposure to chemicals J5 Prevent harmful chemicals from being recycled G7 Health and wellbeing benefits Positive Chemicals measured in J5 include POPs which can bioaccumulate and have harmful impacts on health.
Managing exposure to chemicals B1 Pollution loads entering waters H4 Exposure and adverse effects of chemicals on wildlife in the environment Positive B1 includes emissions of mercury, H4 monitors exposure to mercury.
Managing exposure to chemicals B2 Serious pollution incidents to water H4 Exposure and adverse effects of chemicals on wildlife in the environment Positive Pollution incidents could involve the release of pollutants monitored through H4 for example, mercury.
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