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The Philippine Environment Management Bureau (EMB) under the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) issues Chemical Control Orders (CCOs) that prohibit, limit, or regulate the use, manufacture, import, transport, process, storage, possession, and wholesale of some priority chemicals that are required to be regulated, phased out, or banned because of the serious risks they pose to public health, workplace, and environment. Recently, DENR-EMB issued a CCO on arsenic and arsenic compounds.
Arsenic and its compounds are prohibited to be used in fertilizers, pesticides, and chemical weapons. But the following 5 uses are allowed:
Laboratory use (for research and analysis purposes);
Manufacture of and use for semiconductor products;
Plating processes;
Metal recycling;
Manufacture of car batteries.
The importer, manufacturer, distributor, and user of arsenic and its compounds should register with EMB and acquire a permit. An importation clearance should also be obtained for importation. Arsenic and its compounds should be labeled according to GHS requirements promulgated by EMB. Arsenic wastes are regarded as hazardous wastes and should be labeled in accordance with the Department Administrative Order 2013-22 “Revised Procedures and Standards for Hazardous Wastes Management”.
The Philippine authorities have already issued CCOs on mercury and its compounds, cyanide and its compounds, asbestos, polychlorinated biphenyls, ozone-depleting substances and lead and its compounds. On Mar 27th, 2018, the Bureau will hold a multi-stakeholder public consultation on the chemical management of Chromium 6+. A CCO for cadmium and its compounds is expected to be released in the future.
