Chemical and Material Library

There are 9379 chemicals and materials in the library.

Enter the name or CAS registry number of a chemical, polymer or other material:

The Library currently identifies the following:

• Direct health hazards: Materials are screened against authoritative hazard listings to identify the type of health hazard they materials may present to those exposed to the material. Persistent bioaccumulative toxicants (PBTs) are characterized as the highest priority for elimination followed by priority health effects: cancer, genetic mutation, reproductive or developmental harm and endocrine disruption.
• Life cycle health hazards: Each material has other chemicals associated with its production and disposal. These chemicals may present hazards to the workers and local communities near where the raw materials are mined or grown and then manufactured into products and disposed. The Pharos team researches key materials to identify the chemicals used, created and emitted throughout their life cycle. For each ingredient of a Pharos listed product, Pharos staff conducts a preliminary literature review of life cycle hazard associations to establish a representative assessment of the entire life cycle of the material. More in-depth research is conducted on select common ingredients. Each chemical record is a work-in-progress. We welcome submissions and suggestions to improve our life cycle hazard data.

The system compares materials by CAS registry number against each of the hazard lists identified in the scroll box on the right side of the screen. If the material is listed on one of the hazard lists, the name of the list and any specific warning associated with that CAS number will be displayed along with a Pharos flag. The color scheme of the flags indicates the Pharos system's prioritization based upon the type of hazard and the degree of scientific evidence:

• Black - Material of urgent concern due to persistence/bioaccumulation. Avoid immediately
• Red - Material of very high concern due to cancer, mutation, reproductive/developmental harm, neurotox, endocrine disrupt. High priority to eliminate.
• Orange - Material of high concern - possible CMR toxicity or respiratory. Next priority for substitution.
• Yellow - Material of moderate concern or preliminary data of high concern. Avoid when possible.
• Blue - Warning about potential problematic materials sometimes used with this material. Confirm.
• Green - Material studied and found not to cause listed health impact. Watch for other flags.

Note: Absence of a hazard listing does not assure the safety of a material.

Many of the approximately 80,000 chemicals in commerce have not yet been thoroughly tested and evaluated for their direct health impacts and much more research is needed to fully understand the impact of many materials. Nonetheless, with health effect information from over 20 national and international hazard lists covering over 9,000 materials and growing, the Chemical and Materials Library provides the most powerful tool available to help specifiers avoid identified potential hazards in materials in use and in their life cycle.

Click here to view the full Chemical and Material Library description [PDF]