IPCHEM (Information Platform for Chemical Monitoring) is the European Commission’s central platform for searching, accessing and retrieving chemical monitoring data across Europe. It was developed by the Joint Research Centre (JRC) to support a more coordinated approach to chemical monitoring and exposure assessment.
Within the future EU “One Substance, One Assessment” (OSOA) framework, IPCHEM is expected to become one of the core databases integrated into the new Common Data Platform on Chemicals (CDPC). This integration aims to further simplify access to chemical information and strengthen coordinated assessments across European regulatory bodies.
The platform gathers data from multiple European and national sources, including environmental, human, food and fee and indoor air’s monitoring
The main purpose of IPCHEM is to improve access to chemical occurrence data and facilitate the assessment of chemical exposure and risks to human health and the environment. The platform also includes dashboards, mapping tools, data visualisation functions, and case studies that help users interpret monitoring results and support exposure and risk assessments.
The platform helps:
- Identify areas where humans and the environment are exposed to chemical pollution
- Detect potential pollution sources
- Support regulatory risk assessments
- Improve cooperation and data sharing between EU authorities and research organisations
- Evaluate the effectiveness of EU chemicals legislation over time
IPCHEM functions as a single access point for chemical monitoring information across Europe. Among its main features are:
- Harmonised and quality-checked datasets
- Time trend visualisation tools
- Metadata and documentation for each dataset
- Access to historical monitoring data dating back to the 1960s
- Data covering all EU Member States and additional international sources
The platform currently contains hundreds of millions of data entries related to chemicals in water, soil, food, air, consumer products, and humans.
IPCHEM is designed as an open-access platform, meaning that a large part of the information is publicly available and can be accessed without registration. The platform is intended for policymakers, regulatory authorities, scientists, industry, research organisations, and the general public.
Data providers can decide the level of detail accessible to each user group according to IPCHEM’s Data Policy. While many datasets are openly accessible, some information may have restricted access due to confidentiality or legal requirements.
IPCHEM functions as a central gateway for chemical monitoring data across Europe. Users can search and retrieve information through the online portal using different criteria such as:
- Chemical substance
- Country
- Environmental or biological media
- Monitoring database
- Time period
The platform allows users to:
- Explore chemical occurrence data
- Visualise trends over time
- Compare monitoring results between countries or regions
- Download datasets for further analysis
- Access metadata and methodological documentation linked to each dataset
An important feature of IPCHEM is that it operates as a decentralised infrastructure. Rather than storing all information in one single database, the platform connects existing European and national databases and provides remote access to their datasets through a harmonised interface.
