In line with the decision made at the 7th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Stockholm Convention on POPs, Japan decided to designate polychlorinated naphthalene containing two chlorine atoms (i.e. dichloronaphthalene, CAS#28699-88-9), and pentachlorophenol (CAS#87-86-5) and its salts and esters as Class I Specified Chemical Substances under the Chemical Substance Control Law (CSCL).
As a result, business activities related to the said chemicals should comply with the requirements set in Chapter 2 of CSCL, including acquiring production and importation permissions from METI. According to Chemical Substances Council’s conclusion on Sep 18 and in line with Article 24, Chapter 2 of CSCL, products listed in the following table will be prohibited from import.
Class I Specified Chemical Substances | Products subject to import prohibition |
Polychlorinated naphthalene containing two chlorine atoms (*Note: PCNs containing more than two chlorine atoms have been listed since 1979) |
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Pentachlorophenol (including its salts and esters) |
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The decision will take effect via amendment to the Cabinet Order under CSCL, which will undergo public consultation after issuance. As Japan already initiated its phase-out plan, industry stakeholders are advised to develop alternative solutions.