On August 8, 2023, the European Commission published the amendment (EU) 2023/1608 to the EU POPs Regulation (EU) 2019/1021, which formally lists PFHxS, its salts and related substances in Annex I of the POPs Regulation, prohibiting their manufacture, placing on the market and use. And will enter into force on the twentieth day after publication in the Official Journal.   These substances are commonly found in metal plating, firefighting foams, polishes, detergents, textiles, and electronics and semiconductor manufacturing, and are typical PFAS substances. The PFAS restriction proposal is currently undergoing a six-month public consultation. Once adopted, it could be one of the largest chemical bans ever imposed in Europe and the most extensive regulation of the chemical industry in the EU. As for PFHxS, the European Commission has prev...

On July 11, 2023, in accordance with the Act on the Management of Substances of Toxicity and Concern, the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) of the Executive Yuan of Taiwan issued an amendment to the "Matters on the Management of Listed Toxic Chemical Substances and Their Operation". The amendment added perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS)-related compounds (including PFHxS substances, PFHxS salts, and other PFHxS-related compounds) to the list of Class I toxic chemical substances, stipulated the control concentration and graded operational quantities, and added prohibited operational matters and permitted uses. The specific control concentration is the full concentration, and the manufacture, import, trafficking and use are prohibited except for research, testing and education.       Perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (P...

The recent PFAS (perfluorinated and polyfluoroalkyl substances) restriction proposal prepared by the Danish, German, Finnish, Norwegian and Swedish authorities has been the subject of much discussion in various industries, particularly in the chemical industry. It is reported that the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has opened an evaluation process as soon as it received the proposal, which involves a six-month public consultation (starting in March 2023 and ending on September 25, 2023.) The ECHA's Risk Assessment Committee (RAC) and Socio-Economic Analysis Committee (SEAC) will evaluate the proposed restriction in light of the consultation and form an opinion, which will ultimately be followed by a decision of the European Commission on whether or not to include PFAS. European Commission to decide whether to include PFAS in the restri...

Announcement on environmental risk control requirements for five types of persistent organic pollutants, including polychlorinated naphthalenes  On December 30, 2022, the Standing Committee of the Thirteenth National People's Congress considered and approved the Amendment to the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants to Include Three Types of Persistent Organic Pollutants, Including Polychlorinated Naphthalenes, and the Amendment to the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants to Include Three Types of Persistent Organic Pollutants, Including Short-Chained Chlorinated Paraffins (hereinafter collectively referred to as the Amendments). The Amendments entered into force on June 6, 2023 for our country. The Amendment provides for the phase-out or restriction of five POPs, namely, hexachlorobutadiene (HCBD...