Home ﹥ Hot News > 活動 > First-Year Implementation of the Prioritized Existing Chemical Substance (PECs) Registration 2020-12-24

The first batch of registration for the 106 PECs has come into effect on January 1^st, 2020. The overall regulation implementation seems running a little behind, yet has been moving forward little by little despite the COVID-19 pandemic. Important updates and observation of the PECs registration implementation during this year:

1. In June, Taiwan EPA published the Guidance on PECs to provide registrant more options for their registration.
2. Due to difficulty in registration implementation, the EPA is working on the draft amendment:

ü   Propose to extend the registration deadline from 2021 to 2023.

ü   Propose to deferred the submission deadline for the chemical safety report (chapters 8 and 9) of the dossier.

1. To encourage early submission and apply alternative test reports in the dossier, a 25% off discount for the submission fee is proposed.  

Overall, Taiwan PEC registration is undergoing, and the EPA is working on a swift adjustment proposal of the implementation policy.  In the current condition, we have experienced to assist our industry partners successfully to submit their dossier in compliance with legal requirements up to date.    

Hydrofluoric Acid is Proposed to be the Second Concerned Chemical Substances under TCCSCA.

To address public safety concerns and food adulteration prevention, Hydrofluoric acid (CAS No. 7664- 39-3) is proposed to be the second Concerned Chemical Substance (CCS), following the Nitrous Oxide. Other than its typical uses in manufacturing of semiconductor chips, cleaning, and rust removing, HF is found misused in other intended occasions such as oil and milk adulteration, and murder incident in Taiwan.

In addition to four Toxic Chemical Substance categories under the TCCSCA, (1) persistent/bioaccumulation in environment, (2) CMR, (3) acute toxic to human, and (4) endocrine disruption and other environment harms, the CCS is to address food safety and public concern of chemicals that cannot be properly managed by other regulations and competent agencies in certain conditions. Once HF is listed as the CCS, any HF handling activities regarding manufacturing, importation, sales, uses, warehousing, and e-commence etc. will be illegal without approval by the competent authority.

Exposure Assessment Becomes Norm to Protect Workers from Chemical Hazards

This year marks 6 years since the Occupational Safety Health Act (OSH Act) amendment in 2014 to require exposure assessment and prevention measures when operating chemicals possess GHS health hazards in all workplaces.  As the outcomes of a 5-year worksite promotion program, over 58% of SMEs workplaces operating chemicals are covered in this exercise.  0ver 90% of the visited enteritis uses the Chemical Control Banding (CCB) for their screening assessment, furthermore, quantitative models and workplace environment monitoring are applied for higher risk of exposure scenarios. 

Most importantly, the awareness of safe chemical uses is emphasized and prioritized among employers, workers and chemical suppliers and beyond through the assessment activities.  Personal protective equipment (PPEs) are commonly observed to remedy exposure risks, nevertheless, replacement, reduction, engineering control and ventilations are preferred approach to improve exposure reduction in an effective way.  It needs more capital investment and administrative arrangement to apply the assessment outcomes into daily reality checks in workplaces.  It is also found that GHS implementation not only highlight the essentials of hazard self-classification and communication (inventory, SDS, labelling and chemicals safety report), but also to make the exposure assessment and proper management possible beyond regulatory lists typically relied on the competent agency.  GHS implementation paves the basis for streamlining chemical safety promotion in workplaces and beyond.