The final version of China 2013 Inventory of Hazardous Chemicals will replace its predecessor “Catalogue of Hazardous Chemicals (2002 version)”. From a regulatory prospective, the Inventory can be regarded as a brand new inventory with the adoption of GHS categories, more participating ministries administrating its management and much stronger legal effect. (See Chemlinked expert article.)
Compared with the 2002 version, major amendments include:
1. The draft Inventory consists of 2,936 entries. Compared with the 2002 Catalogue which contained 3,834 entries, the draft Inventory has combined similar entries, deleted a few mixtures and kept only the active ingredients for formulated products.
Table 1. Summary of developments in the 2013 draft version
| Combined | Inorganic salts cover both anhydrous forms and hydrated forms. |
| Generic Entry 2049: Asbestos (including 5 types, namely actinolite, amosite, tremolite, anthophyllite, and crocidolite) | |
| Generic Entry 2936: Adhesives, synthetic resins, paints, auxiliary materials, coatings and other preparations containing flammable liquids (product closed cup flash point≤60℃) | |
| A few entries with the same active ingredient of different ratio in mixtures/formulations (e.g. 1,3,5-Trinitrohexahydro-1,3,5-triazine (containing ≥15% water) and 1,3,5-Trinitrohexahydro-1,3,5-triazine(desensitized)) | |
| Deleted | Some mixtures (e.g. Tobacco essence) |
| For formulated products, only the active ingredients are kept (e.g. Chlorpyrofos powders, granules and emulsions are deleted, instead, the API phosphorothioic acid, O,O-diethyl O-(3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridyl) ester is listed in the 2013 draft Inventory.) | |
| Added | e.g. Tert-butyl monoperoxy maleate |
2. The hazard categories are much more detailed, but there is no harmonized classification for chemicals incorporated in the draft Inventory. A follow-up guidance document will be released in the near future to include the recommended classification information.
Table 2. GHS hazard classes adopted in 2013 China Inventory of Hazardous Chemicals (Draft)
| Physical hazards | Explosives: Unstable explosives, Division 1.1~1.4; |
| Flammable gases: Category 1, Category 2, Chemically unstable gases category A~B | |
| Aerosols: Category 1; | |
| Oxidizing gases: Category 1; | |
| Gases under pressure: Compressed gases, Liquefied gases, Refrigerated liquefied gases, Dissolved gases | |
| Flammable Liquids: Category 1~3; | |
| Flammable Solids: Category 1~2; | |
| Self-reactive substances (and mixtures): Type A~E; | |
| Pyrophoric liquids: Category 1; | |
| Pyrophoric solids: Category 1; | |
| Self-heating substances (and mixtures): Category 1~2; | |
| Substances (and mixtures) which on contact with water emit flammable gases: Category 1~3; | |
| Oxidizing liquids: Category 1~3; | |
| Oxidizing solids: Category 1~3; | |
| Organic peroxides: Type A~E; | |
| Substances corrosive to metal: Category 1; | |
| Health hazards | Acute toxicity: Category 1~3; |
| Skin corrosion/irritation: Subcategory 1A~1C, Category 2 | |
| Eye effects (Serious eye damage and eye irritation): Category 1, Subcategory 2A~2B; | |
| Sensitization: Respiratory sensitizer subcategory 1A~1B, Skin sensitizer subcategory 2A~2B; | |
| Germ cell mutagenicity: Subcategory 1A~1B, Category 2 | |
| Carcinogenicity: subcategory 1A~1B, Category 2; | |
| Reproductive toxicity: Category 1A~1B, Category2, Additional category; | |
| Target organ systemic toxicity (TOST) - single exposure: Category 1~3; | |
| Target organ systemic toxicity (TOST) - repeated exposure: Category 1~2; | |
| Aspiration hazard: Category 1; | |
| Environmental hazards | Acute aquatic toxicity: Category 1~2; |
| Chronic aquatic toxicity: Category 1~3; | |
| Hazardous to the ozone layer: Category 1. |
3. An added column of special notes shows whether a chemical is hyper toxic or not, judging from its LD50 (median lethal dose).
Original regulatory document