Japan plans to list 56 perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA)-related compounds as the first specific chemical substances under the Chemical Review Law

On July 7, 2022, the Central Environmental Review Committee under the Ministry of the Environment of Japan issued a notice saying: After public consultation in March this year and four rounds of discussions within the review committee, 56 perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) related compounds have been basically determined.
Added as the first specific chemical substance under the jurisdiction of the Chemical Review Law (CSCL)
.

Since the first specific chemical substance is specifically designated by the "Enforcement Order of the Chemical Review Law", this time it will also be implemented by amending the "Enforcement Order of the Chemical Review Law"
.

At present, it is planned to release the revision of the "Enforcement Order of the Chemical Review Law" in the second half of this year and conduct public comments (including domestic and TBT notifications), and officially issue the revised "Enforcement Order of the Chemical Review Law" in 2023
.

Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and its salts and related compounds were listed in Annex A (Phase-out) at the 9th Conference of the Parties to the Stockholm Convention in 2019
.
On April 21, 2021, Japan officially revised the "Enforcement Decree of the Chemical Review Law" to designate perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and its salts as the first specific chemical substance, and it was officially implemented on October 22 of the same year, but it did not.
PFOA-related compounds are not included
.
So this revision can be seen as a supplement to last year's revision
.

The first specific chemical substance in Japan's "Chemical Examination Law" is the most strictly controlled class of substances under the framework of this law
.
Except for a few cases such as experimental research and exempted uses, import, production and use are prohibited in principle
.
In addition, officially designated products containing the first specified chemical are also prohibited from being imported into Japan
.

◆ For these 56 PFOA-related compounds, the official intends to exempt two uses that are temporarily irreplaceable and considered to be non-hazardous to the environment, including:

1.
For pharmaceutical manufacturing purposes, use PFOI to produce PFOB;

2.
For the manufacture of invasive and embedded medical devices, use 8:2FTOH to produce PFMA
.

◆ In addition, as in the revision last year, the government has also drawn up products containing the 56 substances that are prohibited from being imported, including the following 8:

1.
Floor wax

2.
Textile protectant and antifouling agent

3.
Water and oil repellent

4.
Textile products treated with water and oil repellent

5.
Defoamer

6.
Laminating agent

7.
Coating agent for optical fiber or its surface

8.
Fire extinguishers, extinguishing agents for fire extinguishers and foam extinguishing agents

* The specific expression about the product is for reference only and may be adjusted when the official version is released
.