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What is the GSBL ?
The
Joint Substance Data Pool of the German Federal Government and Federal
States (GSBL) is a continuously maintained, uniform collection of
validated information on chemical substances, held in a central
national database.
The mission of the cooperation is to provide
public authorities and the general public with reliable, topical
chemicals information in support of all activities to prevent and avert
danger and to protect humans and the environment.
Responsibility for operating the system lays with the German Federal
Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety
and the Environmental Ministries of the Federal States (Länder). The
cooperation was established through an administrative agreement in 1994.
What does the GSBL contain?
GSBL represents a wide range of
features of chemical substances.
Records contain information on physical and chemical properties, on
ecotoxicological and toxicological parameters and on environmental
fate. They provide descriptions of environmental hazards, health
dangers, fire and other technical hazards and give information on
relevant chemicals-related legislation.
The information contained
is partly elaborated directly for the GSBL database by utilising the
cooperation’s own resources and partly obtained from numerous external
suppliers.
The technical system of GSBL comprises a number of software modules
(GSBL SoftwareSuite) for advanced data processing. These modules serve
for retrieving and visualising stored data and records as well as for
collecting, maintaining and updating the database. Special tools are
utilised for scanning submitted or incorporated data and ensuring high
data quality.
The software suite is modular structured and based on a flexible
technical data model. The standardised GSBL data exchange interface
guarantees both, a seamless data transfer between all software modules
and between the pool and its numerous data providers with their
heterogeneous data models.
The current version contains information on some 51,000 pure
substances, 26,000 component substances (mixtures and preparations) and
210,000 contents of relevant legislation.
Who are the Users of the GSBL?
GSBL is developed for a wide
range of users. Besides the general public, GSBL is intended to be used
by the following groups:
The police may use the GSBL to obtain fast and reliable information on
the risks posed by dangerous goods in transport.
Fire brigades find reliable information in cases of fires involving
hazardous materials or the release of such materials.
Governmental authorities of all administrative levels make use of GSBL
data for enforcement activities, e.g., related to provisions of
chemicals legislation, occupational safety and health requirements and
the handling and disposal of hazardous materials.
The government may utilise information from GSBL for assessing and
amending legislation.
Note:
A
subset of the data from the entire GSBL is accessible to the public.
The "GSBLpublic" is available on the Internet at www.gsbl.de.
In addition, the "GSBLpublic" is also involved in the eChem portal of
the OECD.
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