The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has officially announced the 31st batch of 1 substances of very high concern (SVHC), bringing the total number of substances on the SVHC list (also known as the Candidate List) to 241.

New Environmental Monitoring Requirements have been established, and the scope and obligations of the review have been clarified.

On May 13, 2024, the European Commission, guided by EU Regulation No. 528/2012 and Directive No. 98/8/EC, extended the expiry date of the active substance cis-tricos-9-ene (CAS No.: 27519-02-4) for use in biocidal products of product-type 19 until March 31, 2027. This extension takes effect 20 days after publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.

China’s chemical inventory of existing chemical substances is IECSC, which stands for the Inventory of Existing Chemical Substances Produced or Imported in China (IECSC). There are two parts of IECSC, public part and classified/confidential part. Companies can check out the public part by themselves and shall only enquire Authorities for classified/confidential part. If substances are not listed in the public part, companies have to submit a formal enquiry to SCC to check whether a substance is listed in the confidential part. The enquiry costs 3000 RMB.

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has launched a consultation on an application submitted by its Committee for Socio-economic Analysis (CTACSub 2) for the authorization of Chromium trioxide (EC 215-607-8, CAS 1333-82-0). This application covers twelve specific uses across three categories: mixture formulation, functional chrome plating on components, and surface treatments in aerospace and other industries.

In accordance with REACH regulations, before conducting tests under Annex IX and X (for registration volumes of 100-1,000 tons per year and over 1,000 tons per year), registrants must submit a testing proposal (TP). After a consultation period, ECHA will finalize the testing requirements based on feedback and the characteristics of the substance.

On May 20, 2024, China's Ministry of Ecological Environment (MEE) announced the addition of a batch of 34 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 May 20, 2024, China's Ministry of Ecological Environment (MEE) announced the addition of a batch of 7 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 May 20, 2024, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) amended the Hazard Communication Standard (HCS) to align with the 7th Revised Edition of the UN's Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS). The amendment includes elements from the 8th Revised Edition of the GHS and retains certain U.S.-specific requirements. The regulation takes effect on July 19, 2024, with compliance required by January 19, 2026, and for mixtures by July 19, 2027.

On April 15, 2024, Germany, as one of the five initiating countries of the European Union's proposal to restrict perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) (the other four countries include the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, and Norway), updated its assessment report based on the numerous comments collected during the six-month public consultation phase from March 22, 2023, to September 25, 2023. The assessment work was conducted by the German Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (BAuA)