Australian Government of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) issued a public invitation on October 19, 2022, calling for up-to-date information on the import, use and disposal of PFAS chemicals listed in the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), including:
perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS),
perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS),
The call for information is most relevant to chemical importers and manufacturers, the hazardous waste industry and businesses that handle PFAS substances and goods containing them. Any relevant information is welcome before December 14, 2022.
Under the Industrial Chemicals and Environmental Management Standard - IChEMS, chemicals listed in the international conventions will be given priority for making relevant scheduling decisions. They will be categorized and listed on the IChEMS Register in 7 schedules based on their environmental risks. With the information provided, the DCCEEW intends to verify which of the abovementioned PFAS chemicals in Stockholm Convention are still entering the Australian market and how they are currently used and disposed of. Public consultation about their scheduling decisions will be drafted. Considering that the PFAS chemicals are of high environmental risk, they are expected to be listed on IChEMS Register in Schedule 7.
