On July 5, 2024, Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Ministry of the Environment jointly announced that the Cabinet meeting had approved the amendment to the "Implementation Order of the Chemical Substances Examination and Manufacturing Control Act".
This revision mainly involves the designation of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) isomers or their salts and PFOA-related compounds as Category I specific chemical substances, and imposes strict restrictions on the manufacture, use and import of related substances.
This announcement mainly confirms the official implementation date of strict restrictions on PFOA and its related compounds:
On September 10, 2024, PFOA isomers or their salts were officially designated as Class I specific chemical substances.
On January 10, 2025, PFOA-related compounds were officially designated as Class I specific chemical substances.
On January 10, 2025, the import of 13 products containing PFOA isomers or their salts, as well as 8 products containing PFOA-related compounds; PFOA-related compounds require a specific use license within the permitted period; products containing PFOA isomers Fire extinguishers, fire extinguishing agents and foam fire extinguishing agents containing PFOA or its salts and PFOA related compounds must be handled in accordance with national technical standards.
US plans to restrict high-content HFC-152a and HFC-134a sprayers
On July 10, 2024, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) proposed a new draft aimed at prohibiting the manufacture, import or export of products containing more than 18 mg of 1,1-difluoroethane (HFC-152a) or Spray dust collector for 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane (HFC-134a).
This draft still needs approval from the CPSC committee, which plans to hold a meeting on July 31 to review the case, and will also solicit public comments at that time. Once approved, the new rules will take effect within 30 days of publication of the final regulations.
Two prohibited propellant substances
HFC-152a,HFC-134a
Restricted population
Importers, Exporters and Manufacturers
Limit threshold
≤18 mg
Other restrictions
Under this proposal, dust collectors containing propellants that exceed acceptable limits would be placed on the Federal Hazardous Substances Act (FHSA)'s list of prohibited hazardous substances. In addition, all relevant products must be certified for compliance, and the type of safe propellant that has been replaced must be clearly marked on the product label to ensure that consumers understand the specific chemical substances in the product and ensure their safety and compliance.
CPSC noted that by replacing the propellant, only minor adjustments to the product formula and production equipment would be required. This policy is expected to bring about $2 billion in economic benefits over the next three decades while significantly reducing health risks from aspiration.
