Japanese government reveals draft order listing PFOA-related chemicals regulated as Class I Specified Chemical Substances

On Sept. 9, 2024, the Japanese government published a draft ministerial order that specifies controlled chemicals in accordance with Article 1, paragraph (1), item (xxxv), (c) of the Order for Enforcement of the Act on the Regulation of Manufacture and Evaluation of Chemical Substances. The government is seeking comments on the draft through Oct. 9, 2024. The draft lists 138 chemicals related to perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) that are covered by Annex A (Elimination) of the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants. In principle, the production and import of these chemicals would be banned as they would be designated as Class I Specified Chemical Substances defined in the Act on the Regulation of Manufacture and Evaluation of Chemical Substances. The draft only lists the Japanese names of the chemicals, and does not provide their English names or CAS RNs. After public comments are considered, the final version of the ministerial order is planned to be published in November 2024, and come into effect Jan. 10, 2025.