China China issues 2023 List of Key Controlled New Pollutants

The 2023 list provides environmental risk control measures for 14 types of pollutants, including PFOA and related chemicals, and Dechlorane plus.

China Chemical Substances (Products) Chemical Substances (Factory) Biocidal Products Cosmetics Industrial Chemicals
6 January 2023  yk.envix  LIU Yake (EnviX, Ltd.)
China issues 2023 List of Key Controlled New Pollutants

On Dec. 30, 2022, China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment issued the 2023 List of Key Controlled New Pollutants. It was issued as part of the Action Plan on Controlling New Pollutants announced by the State Council in May 2022. The action plan stated that the first edition of this list would be published by the end of 2022, and that the list as well as the environmental risk management measures for the pollutants listed in it would be continuously updated/introduced. These management measures include bans, restrictions and discharge restrictions on the pollutants. The 2023 list contains 14 key controlled new pollutants along with pollutant-specific environmental risk management measures, which include bans and restrictions on their production, processing, use, import and export as well as discharge reduction rules. It will come into effect March 1, 2023.

 

The 2023 list remains mostly the same as the draft version published in 2022 for public comments. The only changes were made to the cosmetics-related regulations on dichloromethane and nonylphenols as shown in the table below.

No. New pollutant 2023 list 2022 list (draft)
10 Dichloromethane Use in cosmetics is banned under the Safety and Technical Standards for Cosmetics. The maximum allowable concentration in cosmetics is 35% and the maximum allowable impurity content is 0.2% under the Hygienic Standard for Cosmetics (GB 7916).
12 Nonylphenols Use in cosmetics is banned under the Safety and Technical Standards for Cosmetics. ―

 

NOTE:
On Jan. 13, 2023, MEE published a Q&A list regarding the 2023 List of Key Controlled New Pollutants. See more details in the following:
MEE of China releases Q&A on 2023 List of Key Controlled New Pollutants

 

2023 List of Key Controlled New Pollutants

The 2023 list contains the 14 types of pollutants listed in the table below. Note that not all environmental risk control measures are shown here. For full details, see the full list via the link at the bottom of this article.

No. New pollutant(s) CAS number Main environmental risk control measures (not all measures shown here)
1 Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid and its salts, and perfluorooctanesulfonyl fluoride (PFOS group) Examples:

  • 1763-23-1
  • 307-35-7
  • 2795-39-3
  • 29457-72-5
  • 29081-56-9
  • 70225-14-8
  • 56773-42-3
  • 251099-16-8
  • Production is banned.
  • Processing and use are banned (with exceptions).
  • For import and export, a Clearance Notification for Environmental Management on Import/Export of Toxic Chemicals must be submitted. Import and export will be banned from Jan. 1, 2024.
2 Perfluorooctanoic acid and its salts and related compounds (PFOA group) ―
  • New equipment for perfluorooctanoic acid production must not be built.
  • Production, processing and use are banned (with exceptions).
  • To import or export an item on the List of Toxic Chemicals Strictly Restricted in China, a Clearance Notification for Environmental Management on Import/Export of Toxic Chemicals must be submitted.
3 Decabromodiphenyl ether 1163-19-5
  • Production, processing and use are banned (with exceptions that are valid through Dec. 31, 2023).
  • To import or export an item on the List of Toxic Chemicals Strictly Restricted in China, a Clearance Notification for Environmental Management on Import/Export of Toxic Chemicals must be submitted. Import and export will be banned from Jan. 1, 2024.
4 Short-chain chlorinated paraffins Examples:

  • 85535-84-8
  • 68920-70-7
  • 71011-12-6
  • 85536-22-7
  • 85681-73-8
  • 108171-26-2
  • Production, processing and use are banned (with exceptions that are valid through Dec. 31, 2023).
  • For import or export, a Clearance Notification for Environmental Management on Import/Export of Toxic Chemicals must be submitted. Import and export will be banned from Jan. 1, 2024.
5 Hexachlorobutadiene 87-68-3
  • Production, processing, use, import and export are banned.
  • Companies must discharge hexachlorobutadiene in accordance with the Emission Standard of Pollutants for Petroleum Chemistry Industry (GB 31571).
6 Pentachlorophenol and its salts and esters
  • 87-86-5
  • 131-52-2
  • 27735-64-4
  • 3772-94-9
  • 1825-21-4
  • Production, processing, use, import and export are banned.
7 Dicofol
  • 115-32-2
  • 10606-46-9
  • Production, processing, use, import and export are banned.
8 Perfluorohexanesulphonic acid and its salts and related compounds (PFHxS group) ―
  • Production, processing, use, import and export are banned.
9 Dechlorane plus (both cis and trans isomers)
  • 13560-89-9
  • 135821-03-3
  • 135821-74-8
  • Production, processing, use, import and export are banned from Jan. 1, 2024.
10 Dichloromethane 75-09-2
  • Paint removers containing dichloromethane must not be produced.
  • Use in cosmetics is banned under the Safety and Technical Standards for Cosmetics.
  • The total concentration of dichloromethane, trichloromethane, trichloroethylene and tetrachloroethylene in water-based, semi-water-based and organic solvent-based cleaning agents must not exceed 0.5%, 2% and 20%, respectively, under the Limits for Volatile Organic Compounds Content in Cleaning Agents (GB 38508).
11 Chloroform 67-66-3
  • Paint removers containing chloroform must not be produced.
  • The total concentration of dichloromethane, trichloromethane, trichloroethylene and tetrachloroethylene in water-based, semi-water-based and organic solvent-based cleaning agents must not exceed 0.5%, 2% and 20%, respectively, under the Limits for Volatile Organic Compounds Content in Cleaning Agents (GB 38508).
12 Nonylphenols
  • 25154-52-3
  • 84852-15-3
  • Agrochemicals produced by using nonylphenols as additives must not be used.
  • Nonylphenols must not be used to produce nonylphenol ethoxylates.
  • Use in cosmetics is banned under the Safety and Technical Standards for Cosmetics.
13 Antibiotics ―
  • Relevant requirements in the Discharge Standard of Water Pollutants for Pharmaceutical Industry Fermentation Products Category (GB 21903) are strictly enforced.
14 Phased-out group (hexabromocyclododecane, chlordane, mirex, hexachlorobenzene, DDT, α-hexachlorocyclohexane, β-hexachlorocyclohexane, lindane, endosulfan as a raw material and its isomers, and polychlorinated biphenyls) ―
  • Production, processing, use, import and export continue to be banned.

 

The full 2023 list (in Chinese) is available at
https://www.mee.gov.cn/xxgk2018/xxgk/xxgk02/202212/W020221230613338823204.pdf

Author / Responsibility

LIU Yake

Researcher, Research & Consulting Dept. EnviX Ltd.

Business Performance

worked as a research assistant at Department of Environmental Planning and Management, School of Environment, Tsinghua University for 4 years, and then joint in Envix in April, 2022, currently is mainly responsible for consulting on EHS regulation compliance in East Asia.

Background

MA, Environmental Econimics, Hiroshima University

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