Latest update:
On November 28, 2023, the proposal was approved at a meeting of the government cabinet, which is expected to be officially published in the government gazette on December 1 of this year. The revisions remain unchanged from the consultation draft.
The effective dates will be:
February 1, 2024: designation of PFHxS, its isomers or their salts as Class I Specified Chemical Substances
June 1, 2024: addition of products to be prohibited from being imported, in which PFHxS, its isomers or their salts are used. In addition, the rules for fire extinguishers, fire-extinguishing agents and fire-extinguishing foam to comply with corresponding national technical standards and be properly labelled will be effective on June 1 2024.
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On September 15, 2023, the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW), Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), and Ministry of Environment (MoE) issued a joint consultation regarding the designation of PFHxS, its isomers and their salts as Class I Specified Chemical Substances through a partial revision to the Enforcement Ordinance of the Chemical Substance Control Law (CSCL). Comments are welcome before October 14, 2023.
Once designated as Class I Specified Chemical Substances, the manufacture, import, and use of PFHxS, its isomers, and their salts will be prohibited in principle. Additionally, the import of certain products that contain these substances will also be prohibited. It is important to note that the decision on whether to ban PFHxS-related compounds is still under internal discussion and therefore not included in this proposed revision.
The products to be banned from importation, in which PFHxS, its isomers or their salts are used, include:
Water-repellent textiles and oil-repellent textiles
Etching agents used for metal processing
Etchants used in the manufacture of semiconductors
Surface treatment agents for plating and such preparation additives
Antireflection agents used in semiconductor manufacturing
Resists for semiconductor
Water repellent, oil repellent and fabric protection agents
Fire extinguishers, fire-extinguishing agents, and fire-extinguishing foam
Water-repellent clothes and oil-repellent clothes
Water-repellent floor coverings and oil-repellent floor coverings
The revision of the CSCL Enforcement Ordinance will enter into force in January 2024 for the designation of PFHxS, its isomers or their salts as Class I Specified Chemical Substances, and in May 2024 for the addition of products to be prohibited from being imported, in which PFHxS, its isomers or their salts are used. In addition, the rules for fire extinguishers, fire-extinguishing agents and fire-extinguishing foam to comply with corresponding national technical standards and be properly labelled will be effective in May 2024.
