Taiwanese EPA Adds 15 Substances to Concerned Chemical List

On January 12, 2023, the Taiwan’s Environmental Protection Administration supplemented a total of 15 chemical substances to the concerned chemical list in the following 3 categories:

• 5 substances with concerns about food safety risks;
• 2 new psychoactive substances (NPS); and
• 8 explosive precursors.

The production, import, sale, use and storage of these 15 chemical substances will be subject to tightened regulations in Taiwan. Any operation of these chemicals shall obtain relevant approval before February 1, 2024.

Five Substances with Food Safety Risks Concerns

For public health consideration, Taiwanese EPA lists the lead tetroxide (namely red lead) as a substance with concerns about food safety risks, as in August 2020, a Chinese Medicine Clinic mixed lead tetroxide with the forbidden medicine cinnabar. Long-term ingestion of lead tetroxide may cause lead poisoning, leading to neuropathy such as ataxia, epilepsy, coma, encephalopathy or damage to various organs such as the kidneys, heart, reproductive system and endocrine system. For this reason, the lead tetroxide has been listed as controlled substance, aiming to prevent the occurrence of similar accidents from the source.

EPA also lists the following four chemicals as substances with concerns about food safety risks:

• lead monoxide that will shorten the production process of preserved eggs;
• sodium sulphide that can increase the smell of sulphur in stinky tofu; and
• sodium thiocyanate and β-Naphthol that can extend the shelf life of dairy products or soy sauce.

Eight Explosive Precursors

EPA lists 8 explosive precursors as the concerned chemicals due to their hazard properties and threats to public safety and human health, these include:

• ammonium calcium nitrate which was used by international terrorists to make explosives;
• four substances, including ammonium perchlorate, sodium perchlorate, sodium nitrate and calcium nitrate that are used as the raw materials of fireworks and crackers. Criminals once use fireworks/crackers to make homemade bombs;
• nitromethane and sodium azide that will explode violently under high heat or collision; and
• aluminum phosphide that can easily react with water or acid to produce hydrogen phosphide, and will explode at high temperatures by spontaneous combustion and reaction with oxidizers.

Two New Psychoactive Substances (NPS)

In addition, to prevent juvenile from NPS abuse and safeguard their physical health, EPA takes precedence to list the 1,4-Butanediol and the (S)-5,6,6a,7-tetrahydro-1,2,9,10-tetramethoxy-6-methyl-4H-dibenzo[de,g]quinolone, which have not been notified as drugs, as the concerned chemicals based on lists of chemicals notified to the United Nations Office on Drug and Crimes by worldwide countries.

According to EPA, NPS and chemicals with food safety risks shall be subject to manufacture, import, purchase, use and storage management. To be specific, they shall meet the following requirements: approval, label, online record, and monthly report. Online transaction or unlicensed operation shall be prohibited. Moreover, chemicals with food safety risks shall have Chinese characters “禁止用于食品” (prohibited in food) on their packages.

Explosive precursors shall be subject to the manufacture, import, purchase, transportation, use and storage management. Specifically speaking, they shall meet the following requirements: approval, label, online record, monthly report, and emergency prevention. Online transaction or unlicensed operation shall be prohibited. If these products reach graded handling quantity, operators shall take the following measures based on provisions of accident prevention and emergency response: submission of hazard prevention and response plans, liability insurance, personnel training, establishment of joint prevention organization, emergency and alarm equipment, manifest notification.

Category of substances	Requirements	Regulated Activities
NPS and chemicals with food safety risks	Approval, label, online record, and monthly report; Online transaction or unlicensed operation shall be prohibited; Chemicals with food safety risks shall have Chinese characters “禁止用于食品” (prohibited in food) on packages.	Manufacture, import, purchase, use and storage
Explosive precursors	Approval, label, online record, monthly report, and prevention; Online transaction or unlicensed operation shall be prohibited.	Manufacture, import, purchase, transportation, use and storage

After these 15 substances are included as the concerned chemicals, EPA will prohibit any selling of these chemicals on platforms where parties involved cannot be identified including on the Internet. Operators of these chemicals shall obtain relevant approvals, complete labels and operation records, make regular reports and other necessary procedures before February 1, 2024. Transitional period will not be given to parties that are not existing operators.

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Reference

Taiwan EPA Notification