ChemSafety Blog: February 2015

GHS Bridging Principles

GHS Bridging Principles are mainly used to classify un-tested mixtures according to GHS.

Dilution: Tested mixture A is diluted with less or equally hazardous ingredient B. A+B=A;

Batching: Mixture A & B are two batches produced under same conditions. A=B;

Highly hazardous mixtures: Mixture A is classified at its highest hazard category, for example, acute toxicity category 1. B is more concentrated than A. B=A;

Interpolation:Mixture A and B share the same hazardous ingredient and classification. If the concentration of the hazardous ingredient in mixture C is in-between, C=A=B;

Substantially similar mixtures:For two mixtures A+B and C+B, if A is similar to C in concentration & hazard data and B's concentration is similar in two mixtures, A+B=C+B;

It shall be noted that bridging principles cannot be applied to all GHS health or environmental hazards.

Read more: GHS Mixture Classification

Chemical Regulations in Korea: K-REACH, CCA and OSHA

In this topic, we will focus on industrial chemical regulations in Korea.

The Act on Registration and Evaluation, etc of Chemical Substances (K-REACH)

The Act on Registration and Evaluation, etc of Chemical Substances(K-REACH) was promulgated on 22 May 2013 by the Ministry of Environment in South Korea and it comes into force on 1 Jan 2015. The Act is also well-known as K-REACH due to its similarity to the EU REACH regulation. K-REACH is the main chemical regulation in Korea.

Under K-REACH, any person who intends to manufacture or import a new chemical substance or at least one ton per year of a designated existing chemical substance subject to registration shall register the chemical substance before he/she manufactures or imports. K-REACH also sets out requirements for companies to report the volume and uses of substances they manufacture/import and notify products containing hazardous chemicals substance.

Read more..

We have also compared differences between K-REACH and EU REACH.

Chemical Control Act(CCA) in Korea

The chemicals control act(previously toxic chemicals control act) passed national assembly in May in 2013 and it comes into force on 1 Jan 2015. It is a new law focusing on chemical accident prevention and reporting. Under CCA, any person who intends to set up and operate toxic chemicals handling facilities shall prepare Off-site consequence analysis report that evaluates the impact of a potential chemical accident on the surrounding environment and population.

CCA also requires that any person who handles accident prone chemicals in excess of a certain amount prepare and submit a contingency plan every five years.

Occupational Safety and Health Act(OSHA) in Korea

OSHA regulates the use of chemicals in workplace with a goal of protecting workers from exposure to hazardous chemicals. Like K-REACH, OSHA requires that any person who manufactures or imports new substances investigate the hazards of new substances and submit the investigation report to the Ministry of Employment and Labor(Article 40). Usually companies submit new substance notifications to the National Institute of Environmental Research(NIER) of the Ministry of Environment who then share hazard information with the Ministry of Employment and Labor. One difference is that OSHA requires some hazard data for the registration of new substances(0.1~1t/y) while the registration of new substances(0.1~1t/y) under K-REACH does not require any hazard data before 2020.

Under OSHA, any person who transfers or supplies a chemical substance or preparation shall classify the chemical according to national classification standards, prepare a SDS and label it properly if classification criterion is met(article 41).

In addition to that, OSHA gives the Ministry of Employment and Labor the authority to set exposure limits for harmful agents, many of which are chemicals.

- See more at: http://www.chemsafetypro.com/Topics/Korea/index.html

Chemical Regulations in Japan

This Post Gives You An Overview of Chemical Regulations in Japan

In Japan, industrial chemicals are mainly regulated by the following 4 laws.

Chemical Substance Control Law (CSCL)
Industrial Safety and Health Law (ISHL)
Law for PRTR and Promotion of Chemical Management(PRTR Law)
Poisonous and Deleterious Substances Control Law (PDSCL)

Chemical Substances Control Law (CSCL)

The Act on the Evaluation of Chemical Substances and Regulation of Their Manufacture, etc. (hereinafter the “Chemical Substances Control Law”) was firstly enacted in 1973 in Japan to prevent environmental pollution by chemical substances that pose a risk to human health or the environment. That latest amendment was made in 2009. Full implementation of amended CSCL started from 1 April 2011.

CSCL controls both new and existing substances. For new substances, a strict pre-manufacture evaluation system is implemented. For existing substances, manufacturers or importers are required to report their quantity and uses annually if the volume of manufacture(M) or importation(I) exceeds certain amount and provide hazard data (if required by authority).

Industrial Safety and Health Law (ISHL)

Industrial Safety and Health Law (ISHL) was firstly enacted in 1972 to protect the safety and health of workers in workplaces in Japan. IHSL designates substances that are prohibited to manufacture or import, substances requiring permission and chemical substances requiring safety data sheets and labels. ISHL also controls new substances and requires manufacturers and importers to notify them to the Japanese Ministry of Labor and Welfare (MHLW) prior to production and importation.

Law for PRTR and Promotion of Chemical Management (PRTR Law)

The law concerning reporting, etc. of the release to the environment of specific chemical substances and promoting improvement in their management ("Law for PRTR and Promotion of Chemical Management" or PRTR Law) was enacted in 1999 in Japan. The purpose of this law is to promote businesses' voluntary improvements in the management of specified chemical substances and to prevent any environmental protection impediments. This law requires businesses to report chemical substances of concern under the PRTR System and to provide information on them under the SDS System.

Poisonous and Deleterious Substances Control Law (PDSCL)

Poisonous and Deleterious Substances Control Law was implemented in 1950 to control poisonous and deleterious substances to protect the public health from a hygiene point of view. This law imposes a license requirement on manufacturers, importers and sellers of poisonous or deleterious substances. It also requires that persons engaged in relevant businesses shall meet prescribed standards for manufacturing or storing equipment of poisonous or deleterious substances and comply with specific requirements on storing, labelling or transferring.

GHS in Japan

Various laws in Japan have required suppliers of hazardous chemicals to provide SDSs and labels. JIS7252 and JIS7253 have set detailed requirements on SDSs and labels in Japan.

Chemical Regulations in China

This blog post will give you an overview of chemical regulation in China. Source: chemsafetypro

In China, industrial chemicals are mainly regulated by the following regulations:

Decree 591 - Regulations on Safe Management of Hazardous Chemicals;
MEP Order 7 - The Measures for Environmental Management of New Substances;
SAWS Order 53 - The Measures for the Administration of Registration of Hazardous Chemicals;
MEP Order 22 - The Measures for Environmental Administration Registration of Hazardous Chemicals;
Dozens of other supporting regulations or national standards issued by various ministries.

The picture below shows the relationship between above regulations.

Main Chemical Regulation in China 1: Decree 591 - Regulations on Safe Management of Hazardous Chemicals

The Regulations on Safe Management of Hazardous Chemicals (known as Decree 591) was published by the State Council of China on 11 March 2011 and entered into force on 1 Dec 2011. Decree 591 is the highest chemical control law in China and it regulates hazardous chemicals through the entire supply chain, from manufacture and importation to distribution and storage, transportation and use.

Decree 591 require businesses who handle hazardous chemicals in China to apply for licenses to operate (“license system”) and submit HazChem registrations separately to two ministries (“HazChem registration”). Decree 591 also implements GHS in China requiring companies to provide SDSs and labels prepared in accordance with relevant national standards.

Main Chemical Regulation in China 2: MEP Order 7 - The Measures for Environmental Management of New Chemical Substances (China REACH)

The Measures for Environmental Administration of New Chemical Substances (MEP Order 7) was issued by China MEP in Jan 2010 and came into force on 15 Oct 2010. This regulation is similar to EU REACH and is also known as "China REACH".

MEP Order 7 requires that manufacturers and importers of new substances notify new substances and obtain approval from China MEP prior to production or importation. A foreign exporter may appoint a Chinese agent to submit notifications.

Main Chemical Regulation in China 3: China SAWS Order 53 - The Measures for the Administration of Registration of Hazardous Chemicals

The revised Measures for the Administration of Registration of Hazardous Chemicals (SAWS’s Order 53) was issued in July 2012 and came into force on 1 Aug 2012. The regulation is promulgated in accordance with the article 66 and 67 of Decree 591 and sets out detailed requirements on HazChem registrations with the State Administration of Work Safety (SAWS).

SAWS’s Order 53 requires that domestic manufacturers and importers register hazardous chemicals with the National Registration Center of Chemicals (NRCC) of SAWS prior to manufacturing or importation. Compared to the old measures, it has triggered new obligations for importers and required more detailed hazard data from companies for registration as well as a 24h emergency contact number.

Main Chemical Regulation in China 4: China MEP Order 22 - The Measures for Environmental Administration Registration of Hazardous Chemicals

The trial Measures for Environmental Administration Registration of Hazardous Chemicals (MEP Order 22) was issued by China MEP in Oct 2012 and came into force on 1 March 2013. This regulation is promulgated in accordance with the article 6 of Decree 591 and is MEP’s version of HazChem registration in China.

Under MEP’s order 22, manufacturers and companies who use hazardous chemicals to manufacture products (“user”) in China shall register hazardous chemicals listed in the Catalogue of Hazardous Chemicals with local environmental protection authorities and obtain environmental administration registration certificates.

Main Chemical Regulation in China 5: GHS in China

China has fully implemented GHS for all hazardous substances and mixtures from 1 May 2011. Various national standards have introduced GHS classification criteria to China and set out detailed requirements on the content and format of SDSs and labels.

Sunday, February 15, 2015