Quick response in case of chemical accident
Citizens to gain access to joint substance database operated by Federal Government and Laender
Up-to-date, quick and reliable information on chemical substances and their environmental impact is important for the sake of environmental protection and when fire departments and the police must avert danger. A database on substances jointly operated by the Germany’s federal government and the Laender Gemeinsamen Stoffdatenpool Bund/Länder, or GSBL, has been in place since 1995. With immediate effect, the data on some 400,000 chemical substances have been improved and made available on the Internet to the public. On 28 May 2009 the two GSBL partners announced the launch of their new online application. Eight Laender and the Federal Government operate a central substance information search application. The data can be accessed via the Internet from anywhere that is connected to the web. The general public will now have direct and free access to GSBL.