South Korea to Newly Specify and Regulate 56 Chemical Substances as Toxic Substances 
On October 4, 2023, the National Institute of Environmental Research (NIER) functioning under the Ministry of Environment of South Korea announced that it would newly stipulate 56 highly hazardous substances, from among chemical substances that underwent hazardousness tests, as toxic substances in accordance with the Act on Registration, Evaluation, etc. of Chemicals. The NIER stated that it was going to notify a new proposed amendment to the Notice on the Designation of Toxic Substances (NIER Notice No. 2023-459) with a major revision mentioned above and invite opinions from the public until October 23, 2023.
From now on, once these chemical substances are officially designated and notified as toxic substances, businesses handling the chemical substances will be imposed the duty for confirming chemical substances, displaying hazardous chemical substances, declaring when importing, obtaining business licenses, complying with handling standards, and complying with standards for the installation and management of facilities that handle the substance, and other duties based on the Chemicals Control Act.
The 56 toxic substances to be newly designated are as follows.
| # | Newly designated toxic substances |
|---|---|
| 2023-1-1119 | [Methacrylic acid; 79-41-4]and mixture containing 5 percent or more thereof |
| 2023-1-1120 | [1,3-Bis(isocyanatomethyl)benzen e; 3634-83-1]and mixture containing 1 percent or more thereof |
| 2023-1-1121 | [Dioctyltin dichloride; 3542-36-7] and mixture containing 1 percent or more thereof |
| 2023-1-1122 | [Beryllium; 7440-41-7] and mixture containing 1 percent or more thereof |
| 2023-1-1123 | [Carbon monoxide; 630-08-0]and mixture containing 25 percent or more thereof |
| 2023-1-1124 | [Formaldehyde polymer with benzenamine; 25214-70-4] and mixture containing 25 percent or more thereof |
| 2023-1-1125 | [Tungsten hexafluoride; 7783-82-6]and mixture containing 1 percent or more thereof |
| 2023-1-1126 | [Lithium nickel cobalt aluminium oxide; 177997-13-6] and mixture containing 1 percent or more thereof |
| 2023-1-1127 | [Methyl ethyl ketoxim; 96-29-7] and mixture containing 25 percent or more thereof |
| 2023-1-1128 | [1,3-Cyclohexanedimethanamine; 2579-20-6] and mixture containing 5 percent or more thereof |
| 2023-1-1129 | [Dimethylaminoethyl acrylate; 2-Propenoic acid 2-(dimethylamino)ethyl ester; 2439-35-2] and mixture containing 1 percent or more thereof |
| 2023-1-1130 | [Sulfur dioxide; 7446-09-5] and mixture containing 10 percent or more thereof |
| 2023-1-1131 | [Cyclohexanone; 108-94-1] and mixture containing 25 percent or more thereof |
| 2023-1-1132 | [Dimethyldisulfide; 624-92-0] and mixture containing 10 percent or more thereof |
| 2023-1-1133 | [Sodium hydrogensulphide; 16721-80-5] and mixture containing 1 percent or more thereof |
| 2023-1-1134 | [Dimethylamine; 124-40-3]and mixture containing 25 percent or more thereof |
| 2023-1-1135 | [2-Mercaptoethanol; Mercaptoethanol; 60-24-2] and mixture containing 1 percent or more thereof |
| 2023-1-1136 | [Tetrabutyltin; 1461-25-2] and mixture containing 1 percent or more thereof |
| 2023-1-1137 | [Titanium tetrachloride; 7550-45-0] and mixture containing 1 percent or more thereof |
| 2023-1-1138 | [Dicyclopentadiene; 77-73-6] and mixture containing 1 percent or more thereof |
| 2023-1-1139 | [Cobalt; 7440-48-4] and mixture containing 1 percent or more thereof |
| 2023-1-1140 | [Cobalt dihydroxide; 21041-93-0]and mixture containing 1 percent or more thereof |
| 2023-1-1141 | [Chlorotrimethylsilane; 75-77-4] and mixture containing 25 percent or more thereof |
| 2023-1-1142 | [Dimethyl dichlorosilane; 75-78-5]and mixture containing 25 percent or more thereof |
| 2023-1-1143 | [Silicon tetrachloride; 10026-04-7]and mixture containing 10 percent or more thereof |
| 2023-1-1144 | [Trichloromethylsilane; 75-79-6]and mixture containing 10 percent or more thereof |
| 2023-1-1145 | [Trichlorosilane; 10025-78-2]and mixture containing 10 percent or more thereof |
| 2023-1-1146 | [1,1,1-Trimethyl-N-(trimethylsilyl)sila namine; 1,1,1,3,3,3-Hexamethyldisilazane; 999-97-3] and mixture containing 25 percent or more thereof |
| 2023-1-1147 | [Acetic acid; Glacial acetic acid; 64-19-7] and mixture containing 25 percent or more thereof |
| 2023-1-1148 | [Dibutyltin oxide; 818-08-6] and mixture containing 25 percent or more thereof |
| 2023-1-1149 | [t-Butyl hydroperoxide; 75-91-2] and mixture containing 1 percent or more thereof |
| 2023-1-1150 | [α,α’-Dimethyl benzylhydroperoxide; 80-15-9] and mixture containing 1 percent or more thereof |
| 2023-1-1151 | [Sodium methanolate; 124-41-4] and mixture containing 5 percent or more thereof |
| 2023-1-1152 | [Ethyl acrylate; 140-88-5] and mixture containing 25 percent or more thereof |
| 2023-1-1153 | [1,3-Benzenedicarbonyl dichloride; Isophthaloyl chloride; 99-63-8] and mixture containing 25 percent or more thereof |
| 2023-1-1154 | [1,4-Benzenedicarbonyl dichloride; Terephthaloyl dichlorid; 100-20-9] and mixture containing 25 percent or more thereof |
| 2023-1-1155 | [2,2-Dimethylpropanoyl chloride; Pivaloyl chloride; 3282-30-2] and mixture containing 1 percent or more thereof |
| 2023-1-1156 | [2-Ethylhexanoyl chloride; 760-67-8]and mixture containing 1 percent or more thereof |
| 2023-1-1157 | [2-Ethylhexyl chloroformate; 24468-13-1] and mixture containing 1 percent or more thereof |
| 2023-1-1158 | [Neodecanoyl chloride; 40292-82-8] and mixture containing 1 percent or more thereof |
| 2023-1-1159 | [Hydroxypropyl acrylate; Acrylic acid, monoester with propane-1,2-diol; 25584-83-2] and mixture containing 25 percent or more thereof |
| 2023-1-1160 | [3,5,5-Trimethylhexanoyl chloride; 36727-29-4] and mixture containing 1 percent or more thereof |
| 2023-1-1161 | [Triphenylsulfonium salt with 2,2,2-trifluoro-1- (sulfomethyl)-1-(trifluoromethyl)ethyl tricyclo[3.3.1.13,7]decane-1-carboxylate (1:1); 1240248-58-1] and mixture containing 25 percent or more thereof |
| 2023-1-1162 | [Dichlorodimethylstannane(753-73-1) mixt. with trichloromethylstannane(993-16-8); 78643-41-1] and mixture containing 1 percent or more thereof |
| 2023-1-1163 | [9-Ethenyl-9H-carbazole; 1484-13-5]and mixture containing 25 percent or more thereof |
| 2023-1-1164 | [Ethenyldimethoxymethylsilane; 16753-62-1] and mixture containing 25 percent or more thereof |
| 2023-1-1165 | [(T-4)-Trifluoro(N-methylcyclohexanamine)boron; 658-19-5]and mixture containing 25 percent or more thereof |
| 2023-1-1166 | [2-Fluoro-4-methyl-1,3,2-dioxaphospholane; 16415-09-1] and mixture containing 5 percent or more thereof |
| 2023-1-1167 | [2-Methyl-1-propanol reaction products with 1,5-diisocyanatopentane; 1357171-37-9]and mixture containing 25 percent or more thereof |
| 2023-1-1168 | [[μ-(Ethenesulfonato-κO:κO’)]bis[μ-(phosphorodifluoridato-κO:κO ‘)]dilithate(1-), hydrogen compd. with N,N-diethylethanamine (1:1:1); 2681338-34-9]and mixture containing 25 percent or more thereof |
| 2023-1-1169 | [N1,N2-Dimethyl-1,2-ethanediamine; 110-70-3]and mixture containing 25 percent or more thereof |
| 2023-1-1170 | [Trimethoxy-7-octen-1-ylsilane; 52217-57-9] and mixture containing 25 percent or more thereof |
| 2023-1-1171 | [O,O,O-Triethyl S-[3-(trimethoxysilyl)propyl] thiosilicate (H4SiO3S); 1380168-52-4] and mixture containing 25 percent or more thereof |
| 2023-1-1172 | [Reaction products of lithium sulfide, phosphorus pentasulfide, lithium bromide and lithium iodide; no CAS No. given]and mixture containing 25 percent or more thereof |
| 2023-1-1173 | [Speiss copper; 69029-97-6]and mixture containing 25 percent or more thereof |
| 2023-1-1174 | [2-Fluoro-4-methyl-1,3,2 -dioxaphospholane; 16415-09-1]and mixture containing 5 percent or more thereof |
Businesses that have been handling these toxic substances before the date of promulgation of the law (to be determined) will be given a grace period to comply with these regulations by the date as specified for each of the following provisions.
- Duty for confirming chemical substances in accordance with Article 9 of the Chemicals Control Act: July 1, 2024
- Duty for display regarding chemical substances in accordance with Article 16 of the Chemicals Control Act: July 1, 2024
- Duty for declaration for importing toxic substances in accordance with Article 20 of the Chemicals Control Act: July 1, 2024
- Duty for submission of the chemical accident prevention and management plan in accordance with Article 23 of the Chemicals Control Act: January 1, 2026
- Duty for obtaining business licenses for hazardous chemical substances in accordance with Article 28 of the Chemicals Control Act: January 1, 2026
- Duty for complying with handling standards for hazardous chemical substances in accordance with Article 13 of the Chemicals Control Act: January 1, 2025
- Duty for complying with standards for the installation and management of facilities that handle hazardous chemical substances in accordance with Article 24 of the Chemicals Control Act: July 1, 2027
The original proposed amendment can be downloaded from the link below (written in Korean).
- The proposed amendment to the Notice on the Designation of Toxic Substances (NIER Notice No. 2023-459):
https://opinion.lawmaking.go.kr/gcom/admpp/42592?announceType=TYPE6&mappingAdmRulSeq=2000000301438
