Japan: 164 Chemicals added to the "General Chemical Substance List”

On 31 July 2024, Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) and the Ministry of Environment (MOE) jointly announced the addition of 164 new chemicals to the General Chemical Substance List under the Chemical Substance Control Law (CSCL). Of these chemicals, three have been identified as posing significant risks to both human health and the environment.

Classification of General Chemical Substances

Under the CSCL, new substances are chemicals which are first submitted to the government for evaluation and are monitored for a period of 5 years. Substances that do not pose a significant risk after this evaluation period are classified as general chemical substances and made publicly available on the list and classified as 'newly announced substances'. These substances are further divided into two groups: those notified before 1 April 2011 and those notified after that date.

The list is updated every July, with the latest revision published at the end of the month. The General Chemical Substances List includes all chemicals, except following:

1. Priority Assessment Chemicals (PACs),
2. Class I and Class II Specified Substances
3. Monitoring and exempted substances.

Notification Requirements for Manufacturers and Importers

Companies that manufacture or import general chemical substances in quantities equal to or greater than 1 tonne per annum are required to notify METI. This requirement ensures that these substances are kept under review, even after they are added to the list of general chemical substances.

Highly Toxic Chemicals Added

Among the newly added chemicals, the following three have been classified as highly toxic:

• (eta(5)-cyclopentadienido) tris (n-methylmethanaminido-kappaN) zirconium
• 2-(4-aminophenyl)-1,3-benzoxazol-5-amine
• Reaction products of hydrogen peroxide and 1,4-bis{[(prop-2-en-1-yl)oxy]methyl}cyclohexane, which consists of 80% or more of 2,2'-[cyclohexane-1,4-diylbis(methyleneoxymethylene)]bis(oxirane).

Publication of Assessment Results

On the same day they were added to the list, METI also published the results of the assessment of the degradability and bioaccumulation of these chemicals. The list of added chemicals can be found here (in Japanese).