State of the Environment Norway: The Observation List

Group of substances:
the names of group entries are generic terms for individual substances whose chemical structure is so similar that they can be considered to belong to the same family. If you click a name on the drop-down menu for groups of substances and then click search, you will see a list of a few of the substances in the group. For example, there are several thousand azo colorants, but only two are given as examples. There are more azo colorants that also meet the criteria for inclusion on the observation list, whereas others do not.

Index number:
Entries in Annex 1 are listed according to the atomic number of the elements most characteristic of the substances properties.

The index number for each substance is in the form of a digit sequence of the type ABC-RST-VW-Y where:

ABC: is either the atomic number of the most characteristic chemical element (preceded by one or two zeros to make up the sequence) or the usual class number for organic substances.
RST: is the consecutive number of the substance in the series ABC
VW: denotes the form in which the substance is produced or placed on the market
Y: is the check-digit calculated in accordance with the ISBN (International Standard Book Number) method.

CAS number: The chemical abstract Service (CAS) number is also included to assist identification of the entry. It should be noted that the Einecs number includes both anhydrous and hydrated form of a substance, whilst there are frequently different CAS numbers for anhydrous and hydrated forms. The CAS number included in all cases is for the anhydrous form only, and therefore the CAS number shown does not always describe the entry as accurately as the Einecs number.

EC number: For dangerous substances in the European Inventory of Existing Commercial Chemical Substances (Einecs, OJ No C 146A, 15. 6. 1990) the Einecs number is included. This number is a seven digit system om the type XXX-XXX-X which starts at 200-001-8.

For dangeroous substances notified under the provosions of this directive, the number of the substances in the European List of notified Substances (Elinics) is included. This number is a seven digit system of the type XXX-XXX-X which starts at 400-010-9.