On December 18, 2023, China's Ministry of Ecological Environment (MEE) announced the addition of a batch of 25 registered substances that fulfill the requirements of existing substances into the Inventory of Existing Chemical Substances in China (IECSC). CIRS warmly reminds you that related enterprises must make sure whether their substances are existing substances. The Provisions on Environmental Administration of New Chemical Substances (MEE Order 12) require enterprises to complete new substance registration/record before manufacturing or importing, or they may face various punishments.

On December 18, 2023, China's Ministry of Ecological Environment (MEE) announced the addition of a batch of 4 registered substances that fulfill the requirements of existing substances into the Inventory of Existing Chemical Substances in China (IECSC). Earlier on October 10, 2023, these four substances are released for public consultations.

Recently, the Department of Climate Change, Energy, Environment, and Water Resources (DCCEEW) in Australia proposed to include several brominated flame retardant chemicals in the Industrial Chemicals Environmental Management Standards (IChEMS) register. Substances that may cause serious or irreversible harm to the environment but have essential industrial uses are proposed to be included in Appendix 6 of IChEMS while substances causing serious or irreversible harm to the environment and without essential industrial uses are included in Appendix 7 of IChEMS.

On November 8, 2023, the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, and the Ministry of the Environment jointly published the public consultation results for its revision to the Chemical Substance Control Law (CSCL), which started on September 15. The consultation drew extensive attention and various suggestions were submitted.

On October 23, 2023, the Mexican Ministry of Energy (SENER, also Secretaría de Energía) issued a Decree in its Federal Official Gazette to combat the illegal import of fuel. The Decree imposes temporary restrictions on the import of 68 chemicals and petrochemical products. It has entered into effect on October 24, 2023.

On September 28, 2023, U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced an important new rule under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), requiring manufacturers of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) to provide more data for better regulation. PFASs are a large class of chemically stable organic fluorides known for their water and stain resistance, as well as good insulation. They find extensive use in various industrial sectors, including food packaging, electronics, leather and apparel, construction and household applications, firefighting, and medical supplies. However, PFASs are persistent and migrate in the environment, making them difficult to degrade. They are also called persistent chemicals and have posed a significant threat to human health and the ecological environment.

On September 27, 2023, ECHA was mandated to prepare an Annex XV report for possible restriction of chromium substances (CrVI). ECHA should submit a restriction proposal by October 4, 2024. This restriction proposal intends to improve the effectiveness and management of chromium (VI) substances in the European Union.

On October 20, 2023, China’s Ministry of Commerce and the General Administration of Customs jointly issued an announcement regarding the temporary export control measures on graphite materials. Some materials will be subject to export control, and three highly sensitive graphite materials including spherical graphite, which were previously subject to temporary control, will be included in the list of dual-use items for export control. Moreover, temporary control measures on five low-sensitivity graphite materials primarily used in industries such as steel, metallurgy, and chemicals, including carbon electrodes of a kind used for furnaces, will be removed. The control measures take effect on December 1, 2023.

On September 26, 2023, the Commission on Constitution, Justice and Citizenship (CCJC) in Brazil published PL 6120/2019. Eariler on May 9, 2023, CCJC approved the bill (PL 6120/2019) and has send it to the Federal Senate for further consideration. PL 6120/2019 proposes to set up a national chemical inventory as a national database to collect the information on chemicals imported or manufactured in Brazil with hazard characteristics. If PL 6120/2019 is approved, Brazil will be the fourth country in South America that have chemical management regulations, following Peru, Chile, and Colombia.

On October 4, 2023, in accordance with the Act on the Registration and Evaluation of Chemicals, the National Institute of Environmental Research in Korea released Notice No. 2023-460 on revision of Classification and Labeling Regulations for Chemical Substances.