- Home
- 1. Introduction and Purpose
- 2. Production Information and Product Characteristics
- 3. Health Aspects
- 4. Environmental Aspects
- 5. Design and construction of transport and storage equipment
- 6. Transport, Loading and Storage Operations
- 7. Emergency procedures
- 8. Personal protection, first aid and medical treatment
- 9. Styrene: REACH Consortium
- Appendices
- Bibliography
1. Introduction and Purpose
The purpose of this document is to review environmental, health and safety aspects for styrene, i.e. how to handle, store and distribute the material according to current industry standards and guidelines. The Styrene Producers Association (SPA), a Sector Group of the European Chemical Industry Council (CEFIC), encourages customers and potential users of styrene and its precursor ethyl benzene to review their applications from the standpoint of human health and environmental quality. The Responsible CareŽ commitment of the chemical industry represents efforts to assist customers in developing sound product stewardship practices to better safeguard workers and operations, and to protect the environment. A key document in this respect is the Safety Data Sheet.(note to CWD that this link is to the www.styrenemonomer.org site that will be replaced by this document therefore the link should be updated when published) It is an invaluable source of health and safety information, and is available in many languages. To help ensure that the product is not used in ways for which it is not intended or tested, producers will assist customers in dealing with ecological and product safety considerations. For information on specific applications of styrene, users are urged to contact the customer service centre of their suppliers.
Responsible CareŽ is a registered mark of CEFIC through the Chemical Industry Association of the UK.
SPA considers the volume and the distribution pattern of styrene as a commodity chemical to warrant specific emphasis on the application of Responsible Care principles in the distribution of styrene. The transfer of styrene by road, rail, sea or inland water is subject to local and international regulations and agreements, which must be observed by all parties involved. National laws may differ from international regulations and may be stricter than the distribution guidelines outlined in this brochure.
The transfer of styrene in bulk road tankers, rail tank cars, seagoing vessel, barges and tank containers is taken into account covering all aspects of the transport activity from loading to delivery point. Reference to existing regulatory controls and measures is made for clarification purposes only. SPA members do not ship styrene in drums, hence specific distribution risk management requirements for drums are not discussed herein. However individual companies will offer guidance to their customers in cases of styrene delivery in drums. SPA recommends that the Styrene Environmental, Health, Safety and Distribution Guidelines are adopted by all parties involved in the transfer of styrene, including commercial transaction partners for product swaps, toll or trade agreements along with customer collection arrangements. The latter arrangements should adhere to the same distribution safety principles as if conducted by the manufacturing supplier.
CEFIC
Avenue E Van Nieuwenhuyse 4
B- 1160 Brussels
Patrick Detournay
T +32 2 676 72 05
E pdt@cefic.be
