Brazil - GHS Status

Brazil currently implements chemical classification and labelling according to the Fifth revised edition of the Globally Harmonized System for Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS5). GHS at the workplace has been implemented in Brazil since 2009 via Ordinance No. 26. The technical provision for implementing the GHS is developed by the Brazilian Association of Technical Standards (ABNT). The ABNT released the first version of standard ABNT 14725 in 2009 to address the terminology, hazard classification system, labelling, and Safety Data Sheets (SDS). In June 2019, the ABNT updated the second part of the standard including several corrections and amendments. GHS is obligatory for substances from 27 February 2011 and for mixtures from 1 June 2015.

On 3 July 2023, Brazil published the revised Standard ABNT NBR 14725 to align with the seventh revised edition of the GHS. The new standard ABNT NBR 14725:2023 will incorporate all parts (1 to 4) of the previous standard 14725 into one and it will come into force on 4 July 2025 as a provision of the adoption of GHS 7. This ABNT replaces the following four standards which are valid until 3 July 2025: 

ABNT NRB 14725-1:2009 Terminology 

ABNT NRB 14725-2:2019 Hazard Classification System 

ABNT NRB 14725-3:2017 Labelling 

ABNT NRB 14725-4:2014 SDS/FISPQ

Local Adaptation of GHS

The following GHS building blocks are not implemented in Brazil:

• Chemicals under Pressure, all categories

GHS Labelling Requirements

In Brazil, product labelling is currently governed by the ABNT NRB 14725-3:2017 standard, which will remain in force until 3 July 2025. From 4 July 2025, compliance with the new ABNT NBR 14725:2023 standard will be mandatory. Suppliers of chemical products, must review the information on the label whenever necessary or periodically, based on updated safety data sheet information. Labelling information must be written in Brazilian Portuguese.

Article 5 of the ABNT NBR 14725-3 standard establishes the safety information that must be included in the label. The label of hazardous chemical products must include:

• The trade name and technical name of the product  
• Chemical composition
• Hazard pictograms (minimum size 1 cm x 1 cm; black symbol on white background with a red border)
• Warning words
• Hazard statements
• Precautionary phrases (maximum number of p-phrases: 6)
• An emergency contact number of the supplier
• Other related information

Safety Data Sheets

The standard ABNT NRB 14725-4:2014 SDS/FISPQ defines the requirements for the preparation of Safety Data Sheets (SDSs) in Brazil until 3 July 2025. From 4 July 2025, the ABNT NRB 14725:2023 standard will be mandatory. An SDS should contain the 16 standard sections and be written in Brazilian Portuguese. Currently, the abbreviation FISPQ (Ficha de Informações de Segurança de Produtos Químicos) is used to denote an SDS in Brazil. From July 2025 this will be changed to FDS (Ficha com Dados de Segurança) to be consistent with the acronym used worldwide. 

GHS in Work-Environment

Ordinance No. 26 of the Ministry of Labour implemented the GHS in the work-environment was implemented in Brazil in 2009. The ordinance established that chemical products used in the work-environment must be classified, labelled, and have SDSs in accordance with the GHS criteria.

GHS in Transportation

The governing regulation for transportation of hazardous goods in Brazil is Resolution 5323 of 14 December 2016, which is based on the 19^th revised edition of the United Nations Model regulations. Within Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay there is a special regulation from the Common Market of the South (MERCOSUR).