Singapore Publishes Reponses to Comments on Addition of 26 Chemicals as Hazardous Substances

Singapore's National Environment Agency (NEA) recently published the consultation outcome of the public consultation on proposed control of 26 chemicals¹ as hazardous substances (HS) opened in mid-2022. During the consultation period (June 13 ~ July 4, 2022), the NEA has received 52 comments and most of them are supportive of the proposed regulatory changes*. The NEA intends to officially make public these regulatory changes by December 2022, which are expected to come into force in June 2023.

To illustrate the HS license/permit application requirements and proposed control measures for these 26 chemicals, the NEA published a summary (11 Q&As) of the responses to these comments. Main points are summarized as below.

HS license/permit application requirements

Companies that perform the following activities involving any of the 26 chemicals (regardless of quantities) proposed to be controlled must obtain a valid HS license/permit by June 2023:

1. Import, export, manufacture, offer for sale, transport, storage and/or use of the regulated chemicals; and

2. Purchase, storage and/or use of the regulated chemicals.

Such companies are advised to set about changing their HS license/permit or applying for a HS license/permit from January 2023 (after the proposed regulatory changes are officially released). It should be noted that no fee waivers for amendments to the HS license/permit arising from the regulatory changes will be granted by the NEA.

Proposed control measures

These 26 chemicals will be added to Annex I with their chemical names and corresponding CAS numbers. There will be a maximum allowable storage quantity for these 26 chemicals, which will depend on many considerations. For example:

• Whether the pollution control, safety and security measures are present (e.g. emergency response plan, access control for authorized personnel); and

• Types and quantities of chemicals considered in the Quantitative Risk Assessment (QRA) study (if any).

Trace quantities of these 26 chemicals present in products as unintended contaminants or impurities are generally exempted from the proposed regulatory control. However, the NEA may notify companies and require them to provide supporting documents (e.g., SDS, analytical reports) to the NEA for verification. Currently, the NEA is undertaking a more detailed review of the potential safety and environmental risks posed by these 26 chemicals with a view to granting exemptions for low concentrations. Companies are welcome to provide the NEA with information related to the review by sending relevant information to [email protected] before November 10, 2022, including:

• SDS;

• Concentration present in the mixture/product; and

• Storage quantity.

Click here³ for more details about the NEA’s responses (11 Q&As).