Article 2Definitions
1
For the purposes of this Directive:
a
‘substances’ means chemical elements and their compounds in the natural state or obtained by any production process, including any additive necessary to preserve the stability of the products and any impurity deriving from the process used, but excluding any solvent which may be separated without affecting the stability of the substance or changing its composition;
b
‘preparations’ means mixtures or solutions composed of two or more substances;
c
‘polymer’ means a substance consisting of molecules characterised by the sequence of one or more types of monomer units and comprising a simple weight majority of molecules containing at least three monomer units which are covalently bound to at least one other monomer unit or other reactant and consists of less than a simple weight majority of molecules of the same molecular weight. Such molecules must be distributed over a range of molecular weights wherein differences in the molecular weight are primarily attributable to differences in the number of monomer units. In the context of this definition a ‘monomer unit’ means the reacted form of a monomer in a polymer;
d
(………);
e
‘placing on the market’ means making available to third parties. Importation into the Community customs territory shall be deemed to be placing on the market for the purposes of this Directive;
f
‘scientific research and development’ means scientific experimentation, analysis or chemical research carried out under controlled conditions; it includes the determination of intrinsic properties, performance and efficacy as well as scientific investigation related to product development;
g
‘process-orientated research and development’ means the further development of a substance in the course of which pilot plant or production trials are used to test the fields of application of the substance;
h
‘Einecs’ means the European Inventory of Existing Commercial Chemical Substances. This inventory contains the definitive list of all chemical substances deemed to be on the Community market on 18 September 1981.
2
The following are ‘dangerous’ within the meaning of this Directive:
a
explosive substances and preparations: solid, liquid, pasty or gelatinous substances and preparations which may also react exothermically without atmospheric oxygen thereby quickly evolving gases, and which, under defined test conditions, detonate, quickly deflagrate or upon heating explode when partially confined;
b
oxidising substances and preparations: substances and preparations which give rise to a highly exothermic reaction in contact with other substances, particularly flammable substances;
c
extremely flammable substances and preparations: liquid substances and preparations having an extremely low flash-point and a low boiling-point and gaseous substances and preparations which are flammable in contact with air at ambient temperature and pressure;
d
highly flammable substances and preparations:
substances and preparations which may become hot and finally catch fire in contact with air at ambient temperature without any application of energy, or
solid substances and preparations which may readily catch fire after brief contact with a source of ignition and which continue to burn or to be consumed after removal of the source of ignition, or
liquid substances and preparations having a very low flash-point, or
substances and preparations which, in contact with water or damp air, evolve extremely flammable gases in dangerous quantities;
e
flammable substances and preparations: liquid substances and preparations having a low flash-point;
f
very toxic substances and preparations: substances and preparations which in very low quantities cause death or acute or chronic damage to health when inhaled, swallowed or absorbed via the skin;
g
toxic substances and preparations: substances and preparations which in low quantities cause death or acute or chronic damage to health when inhaled, swallowed or absorbed via the skin;
h
harmful substances and preparations: substances and preparations which may cause death or acute or chronic damage to health when inhaled, swallowed or absorbed via the skin;
i
corrosive substances and preparations: substances and preparations which may, on contact with living tissues, destroy them;
j
irritant substances and preparations: non-corrosive substances and preparations which, through immediate, prolonged or repeated contact with the skin or mucous membrane, may cause inflammation;
k
sensitising substances and preparations: substances and preparations which, if they are inhaled or if they penetrate the skin, are capable of eliciting a reaction of hypersensitisation such that on further exposure to the substance of preparation, characteristic adverse effects are produced;
l
carcinogenic substances and preparations: substances or preparations which, if they are inhaled or ingested or if they penetrate the skin, may induce cancer or increase its incidence;
m
mutagenic substances and preparations: substances and preparations which, if they are inhaled or ingested or if they penetrate the skin, may induce heritable genetic defects or increase their incidence;
n
substances and preparations which are toxic for reproduction: substances and preparations which, if they are inhaled or ingested or if they penetrate the skin, may produce, or increase the incidence of, non-heritable adverse effects in the progeny and/or an impairment of male or female reproductive functions or capacity;
o
substances and preparations which are dangerous for the environment: substances and preparations which, were they to enter the environment, would or could present an immediate or delayed danger for one or more components of the environment.