News Details
Japan designates three POPs as Class I Specified Chemical Substances
On 19 September 2024, Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW), Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and Ministry of the Environment (MoE) jointly notified the World Trade Organization (WTO) of a draft proposal to designate three chemicals as Class I Specified Chemical Substances. The three chemicals which were mentioned in the draft are Methoxychlor, Dechlorane Plus and UV-328.
The Act on the Regulation of Manufacture and Evaluation of Chemical Substances regulates these Class I Specified Chemical Substances, which will be amended to add these three chemicals to the list of Class I Specified Chemical Substances.
The three Class I Specified Chemical Substances are as follows.
|
Sr. No. |
Common Name |
CAS No. |
Chemical Name |
|
1. |
Methoxychlor |
72-43-5 |
[2,2,2-trichloro-1-(methoxyphenyl)ethyl] benzene |
|
2. |
Dechlorane Plus |
13560-89-9 |
1,2,3,4,7,8,9,10,13,13,14,14-dodecachloro-1,4,4a,5,6,6a,7,10,10a,11,12,12adodecahydro-1,4:7, 10-dimethanodibenzo[a,e][8]annulene |
|
3. |
UV-328 |
25973-55-1 |
2-(2H-1,2,3-benzotriazol-2-yl)-4,6-bis(2-methylbutan-2-yl)phenol |
Background
Earlier in May 2023, at the 11th Conference of the Parties to the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) these three chemicals were added to Annex A of the Convention which can be accessed here. In reply to this, a consultation regarding these designations was held by the three ministries in December 2023.
Class I Specified Chemical Substances
Class I Specified Chemical Substances are defined under Japan's Chemical Substances Control Law (CSCL) as substances that have been determined to be persistent, extremely bioaccumulative, or potentially hazardous to the environment and human health over an extended period of time. Manufacturers and importers are required to obtain a permit before manufacturing or importing certain compounds.
Exemptions
This order includes some exemptions for the use of Dechlorane Plus in certain applications.
|
Used until |
Name of Class I Specified Chemical Substance |
Used in |
|
26 February 2030 |
Dechlorane Plus |
Defence utilities |
Comment Period and Enforcement Dates
Stakeholders are invited to comment on this draft proposal until 18 November 2024. The enforcement order will be adopted in December 2024 and come into force in February 2024. In addition, the importation of products containing Dechlorane Plus and UV-328 (as listed in the table below) will be banned from June 2025.
|
Name of Class I Specified Chemical Substance |
Products |
|
Dechlorane Plus |
Chemicals for flame retardant for resins, Silicone rubber, Lubricating oils, Adhesives and tape and Part housings, electrical wiring and cables for electrical and electronic products. |
|
UV-328 |
Paints and varnish, Lubricating oils, Adhesives, tape and sealing fillers and UV absorber for plastics. |
We acknowledge that the above information has been compiled from Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW), Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and Ministry of the Environment (MOE)-Japan.
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