News & Events

Three new data sources participate in eChemPortal

18-May-2009

The Hazardous Substance Data Bank (HSDB) managed by the National Library of Medicine in the United States, The United States Environmental Protection Agency's Substance Registry Services (SRS) and Canada’s Existing Substances Assessment Repository (CESAR) were all recently added as new participating data sources in eChemPortal, the Global Portal to Information on Chemical Substances. eChemPortal provides direct links to collections of information prepared for government chemical review programmes at national, regional, and international levels.

Governments must do more to help most vulnerable amid rising unemployment, urges OECD

15-May-2009

Governments must urgently adapt their labour market policies to help their most vulnerable citizens in the economic crisis, as was concluded at the High-Level Forum on Sickness, Disability and Work in May 2009. Key to this will be avoiding that the crisis further strengthens a disability benefit culture that pushes many people with disability onto benefit schemes and out of work for the rest of their lives.

Latest Test Guidelines

12-May-2009

The following Test Guidelines have been adopted on 3rd October 2008 and are available on SourceOECD.

Section 2: Effects on Biotic Systems
TG 226
TG 228

Section 3: Degradation and accumulation
TG 314 
TG 315 
TG 316 

Section 5: Other Test Guidelines
TG 508 

Updated Test Guidelines:
Section 2: Effects on Biotic Systems
TG 211

Section 4: Health Effects
TG 407

Corrected Test Guideline:
Section 4: Health Effects
TG 425 

Joint OECD-World Bank Reviews of Health Systems - Turkey

25-Mar-2009

This comprehensive review of Turkey's health care system shows that health status has improved rapidly in Turkey in recent decades, partly as a result of higher health spending.

Obesity: analysis of trends in selected OECD countries

24-Mar-2009

OECD Health Working Paper No. 45 provides an overview of past and projected future trends in adult overweight and obesity in selected OECD countries. Using individual-level data from repeated cross-sectional national surveys, some of the main determinants and pathways underlying the current obesity epidemic are explored, and possible policy levers for tackling the negative health effect of these trends are identified.

Obésité : analyses des tendances dans les pays de l’OCDE

24-Mar-2009

Ce document de travail fournit une vue d’ensemble des tendances passées et futures des taux de surpoids et d’obésité dans les pays de l’OCDE. L’utilisation de données individuelles issues d’enquêtes transversales nationales a permis d’explorer les déterminants principaux et les cheminements sous-jacents à l’épidémie d’obésité, et d’identifier de possibles leviers politiques pour contrer les effets négatifs de ces tendances sur la santé. (Disponible uniquement en anglais.)

Metrics to Support Informed Decision-making for Consumers of Biobased Products

20-Mar-2009

This document focuses on efforts in the United States to develop metrics to support sound decision choices by industry and consumers in the selection and use of biobased products. Public policy initiatives have been important in spurring the movement toward increased use of biobased products in the effort to lighten the US environmental footprint and enhance its energy security. This has included developing metrics based on sound science that also provide useful information to inform consumer selections of biobased products.

Long-term care workforce: overview

19-Mar-2009

In the context of ageing societies, the importance of long-term care (LTC) is growing in all OECD countries. OECD Health Working Paper No. 44 offers an overview of the LTC workforce and reviews country responses to a growing demand for LTC workers.

Les travailleurs du secteur des soins de longue durée: revue

19-Mar-2009

Dans le contexte du vieillissement des sociétés, l’importance des soins de longue durée  va se développer dans tous les pays de l’OCDE. Ce document de travail présente une vue d’ensemble sur les travailleurs du secteur des soins de longue durée (SLD) et passe en revue les réponses des pays à l'accroissement de la demande de travailleurs des SLD. (Uniquement en anglais)

Health status and access to care: measuring disparities

11-Mar-2009

OECD Health Working Paper No. 43 assesses the availability and comparability of selected indicators of inequality in health status and in health care access and use across OECD countries, with a focus on disparities among socioeconomic groups.