Australia Adds 21 chemicals to IChEMS Standard, Including PFHpS 
On June 18, 2026, the Australian Government published the Industrial Chemicals Environmental Management (Register) Amendment (2026 Measures No. 1) Instrument 2026 on the Federal Register of Legislation. This amendment modifies the 2022 Industrial Chemicals Environmental Management (Register) Instrument by adding 21 new chemicals to the schedules under the Industrial Chemicals Environmental Management Standards (IChEMS). The commencement date is June 19, 2026.
Of the 21 chemicals, perfluoroheptanesulfonic acid (PFHpS), perfluorononanesulfonic acid (PFNS) and perfluorodecanesulfonic acid (PFDS), are newly listed in Schedule 7—Relevant industrial chemicals that are likely to cause serious or irreversible harm to the environment with no essential uses. According to the risk management measures under Column 3, the manufacture, use, import, or export of these chemicals in Australia is prohibited starting January 1, 2027.
The 21 new chemicals added to the IChEMS schedules by this instrument are listed below. Changes from the March 2026 draft are indicated in bold.
Chemicals Added to IChEMS Standard
| Substance name | CAS RN | Schedule & Title |
|---|---|---|
| Glycerides | 68990-07-8 and others | 2—Relevant industrial chemicals that are unlikely to cause harm to the environment |
| 1,3-Propanediamine, N-[3-(C11-14-isoalkyloxy)propyl]derivs., C13-rich, acetates | 151789-08-1 | 3—Relevant industrial chemicals that have the potential to cause harm to the environment |
| Carbonodithioic acid, O-(2-methylbutyl) ester, sodium salt (1:1) [1] Carbonodithioic acid, O-(3-methylbutyl) ester, sodium salt (1:1) [2] |
72187-33-8 [1] 34761-63-2 [2] |
|
| Ethoxylated alcohols (Group B) | 112-59-4 and others | |
| Medium and long chain alkyl sulfates | 139-96-8 and others | |
| Fatty acids | 84753-04-8 and others | |
| Ethoxylated alcohols (Group A) | 3055-93-4 and others | 4—Relevant industrial chemicals that may cause harm to the environment |
| Parabens | 99-76-3 and others | |
| Short chain alkyl- and aryl- phthalates | 84-69-5 and others | |
| Limonene | 5989-27-5 and others | |
| Perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA), perfluoropentanoic acid (PFPeA), perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA), their salts and any substance containing a perfluoropropyl, perfluorobutyl or perfluoropentyl moiety that can degrade to PFBA, PFPeA or PFHxA | n/a | |
| Dibutylphthalate [1]
di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate [2] diisooctylphthalate [3] |
84-74-2[1]
117-81-7[2] 27554-26-3[3] |
5—Relevant industrial chemicals that are likely to cause harm to the environment |
| Lead(2+) salts of long-chain carboxylic acids | 12578-12-0 and others | |
| Lead(2+) salts of medium-chain carboxylic acids | 7319-86-0 and others | |
| 6:2 Fluorotelomer sulfonamides | 34455-29-3 and others | |
| Perfluorobutanesulfonic acid (PFBS), its salts and any substance containing a perfluorobutanesulfonyl moiety that can degrade to PFBS. | n/a | |
| Perfluoroheptanoic acid (PFHpA), its salts and any substance containing a perfluorohexyl moiety that can degrade to PFHpA. | n/a | |
| Perfluoropentanesulfonic acid (PFPeS), its salts and any substance containing a perfluoropentanesulfonyl moiety that can degrade to PFPeS. | n/a | |
| Phenol, 4,4′-(1-methylethylidene)bis[2,6-dibromo- (TBBPA) | 79-94-7 | |
| Perfluoroheptanesulfonic acid (PFHpS), its salts and any substance containing a perfluoroheptanesulfonyl moiety that can degrade to PFHpS. | n/a | 7—Relevant industrial chemicals that are likely to cause serious or irreversible harm to the environment with no essential uses |
| Perfluorononanesulfonic acid (PFNS), perfluorodecanesulfonic acid (PFDS), their salts and any substance containing a perfluorononanesulfonyl or perfluorodecanesulfonyl moiety that can degrade to PFNS or PFDS. | n/a |
Three chemicals proposed for addition to the IChEMS schedules in the March 2026 draft, 2,4,6-tri-tert-butylphenol (TTBP) (CAS RN: 732-26-3), dibutylhydroxytoluene (BHT) (CAS RN: 128-37-0), and butylhydroxyanisole and related antioxidants (CAS RN: 25013-16-5 and others), have been removed from this instrument. The development of decisions regarding these chemicals has been deferred until after July 2027, according to an official announcement by the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) dated April 9, 2026.
Below are selected details of the Column 3 risk management measures, including prohibitions and restrictions, for the two chemicals added to Schedule 7 (PFHpS and PFNS/PFDS). There are no changes from the draft version.
PFHpS
| Risk management measures including prohibitions and restrictions (Selected Excerpts) |
|---|
| (a) This entry comes into effect on 1 January 2027. |
| (b) The manufacture of the class of chemicals is prohibited except:
(i) in circumstances where the class of chemicals is present as unintentional trace contamination at: (ii) for research or laboratory purposes. |
| (c) The import and export of the class of chemicals (whether on their own or in mixtures or in articles) are prohibited except:
(i) in circumstances where the class of chemicals is present as unintentional trace contamination at: (A) a level equal to or below 0.025 mg/kg for PFHpS and its salts; or (B) a level equal to or below 1 mg/kg for any individual PFHpS‑related compound or a combination of those compounds; or (ii) for research or laboratory purposes; or (iii) if a hazardous waste permit authorises the import or export of the class of chemicals or a mixture or article containing the class of chemicals. |
| (d) The use of the class of chemicals (whether on their own or in mixtures or in articles) is prohibited except:
(i) in circumstances where the class of chemicals is present as unintentional trace contamination at: (A) a level equal to or below 0.025 mg/kg for PFHpS and its salts; or (B) a level equal to or below 1 mg/kg for any individual PFHpS‑related compound or a combination of those compounds; or (ii) for research or laboratory purposes; or (iii) for the purposes of environmentally sound disposal; or (iv) in circumstances in which the article is already in use on or before 1 January 2027. |
PFNS／PFDS
Omitted. The risk management measures including prohibitions and restrictions are the same as those for PFHpS.
No risk management measures prohibiting or restricting domestic manufacture, use, import, or export in Australia are prescribed for the remaining 19 chemicals.
Additionally, this instrument amends Column 3 risk management measures to add or update conditions for UV-328 (CAS RN: 25973-55-1), which is currently listed in IChEMS Schedule 6 and hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD, CAS RN: 2567-99-4 and others), which is currently listed in Schedule 7.
The specific amendments for UV-328 and HBCD are shown below, with modifications marked in bold.
UV-328
| Risk management measures including prohibitions and restrictions (Selected Excerpts) |
|---|
| (b) The chemical has the following essential uses in Australia:
… … |
HBCD
| Risk management measures including prohibitions and restrictions (Selected Excerpts) |
|---|
| (h) In carrying out disposal, the chemical may be isolated from the waste, provided that the chemical is subsequently disposed of in accordance with paragraphs (e) and (f). |
Reference
- Industrial Chemicals Environmental Management (Register) Amendment (2026 Measures No. 1) Instrument 2026
https://www.legislation.gov.au/F2026L00750/asmade/text
