- Department:Chemicals Administration Ministry of Environment
The Toxic and Concerned Chemical Substances Control Act (hereinafter referred to as the Act) (毒性及關注化學物質管理法) amended on 16 January 2019 added concerned chemical substances as a new category of substances to be regulated. Accordingly, the Principles for Screening and Classifying Toxic Chemical Substances have been revised and renamed as the Principles for Screening and Classifying Toxic and Concerned Chemical Substances (Hereinafter the Principles).
The purpose of the revision was to expand the source control of chemical substances. Conforming to the definition of Class 4 toxic chemical substances, the Principles add concerned chemical substances as a new category, expand the data sources of chemical substance lists and stipulate relevant classification principles. In addition, the Principles stipulate that a chemical substance reaching a certain risk level based on the hazard classification in CNS 15030 can be classified as a hazardous concerned chemical substance.
The EPA stresses that the process of screening, classifying, and announcing a toxic and concerned chemical substance to regulate can be very time-consuming. It involves consulting experts and scholars, industry competent authorities and stakeholders while taking the substance’s characteristics and its international and domestic control status into account. Hence, to increase control efficiency, stipulations have been added to the Principles that allow the assessment procedure to be simplified when the control status of the substance is clear both internationally and domestically or when different industries have reached a consensus on the classification of the substance.
The screening and classifying procedures for toxic and concerned substances are as follows:
1. Establishing a list of data sources for chemical substances by referring to domestic and international regulations and scientific articles.
2. Creating a watch list of chemical substances based on chemical and physical characteristics, toxicity, environmental impacts and consumption issues.
3. Listing substances as prospective toxic and concerned substances based on the classification principles of each category, consultation meetings with experts and scholars, and opinions of industry competent authorities, relevant industry associations, or stakeholders.
4. Recommending a list of substances to be regulated after evaluating the current handling and regulating plans for prospective substances.
Source: EPA Major Environmental Policies, February 2020
