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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 cadmium and cadmium compounds for public consulting.
In the Philippines, cadmium compounds are already included in the Priority Chemicals List (PCL) and therefore subject to compliance obligations such as PCL certificates and so on. The chemical control order will impose more obligations on the whole supply chain of cadmium compounds as follows:
Enterprises that import, manufacture, distribute, use, treat, transport, store, and dispose of cadmium and cadmium compounds should register and apply for permits for these activities.
The importers should also apply for the importation clearance.
The applicants should submit a cadmium management plan to prove that the risks posed to the environment and health and safety will be eliminated or minimized. The management plan should consist of:
Health and safety plan including the emergency treatment and response plan;
Storage management plan including the safety storage procedure, inventory management, and other necessary storage handling equipment;
Operation plan including procedures in using and handling cadmium compounds in the operation facilities;
Training plan for cadmium management;
Phase-out and replacement plan including the timetable for replacement with available alternative chemicals;
The importers, manufacturers, processors, distributors, and users of cadmium compounds, and the transporters and the treatment, storage, disposal facilities of cadmium-bearing waste should submit a quarterly self-monitoring report.
The Philippine DENR has been expanding and improving the CCO system in recent years. Up to now, DENR has published CCOs for mercury and mercury compounds, cyanide and cyanide compounds, asbestos, polychlorinated biphenyls, ozone-depleting substances, lead and lead compounds, arsenic and arsenic compounds.
