Ten Ministries Jointly Issue Notice as Five Chemicals Are Officially Added to the Hazardous Chemicals Catalogue

China’s hazardous chemicals regulatory system has entered a new round of adjustment. The Ministry of Emergency Management and nine other departments have recently jointly issued a notice officially adding 3-chloropropyne, 2-iodoxybenzoic acid, p-nitrobenzyl 2-diazoacetoacetate, methanesulfonyl azide, and 2-nitro-3-methylbenzoic acid to the Catalogue of Hazardous Chemicals (2015 Edition).

Multi-ministry coordination advances safety supervision

According to the notice, this adjustment was made in strict accordance with the relevant provisions of the Regulation on the Safety Management of Hazardous Chemicals. The decision was jointly made by the Ministry of Emergency Management together with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the National Health Commission, the State Administration for Market Regulation, the National Railway Administration, and the Civil Aviation Administration of China, reflecting the coordinated nature of whole-chain supervision over hazardous chemicals.

Classification information table will be improved simultaneously

To support this catalogue adjustment, the Ministry of Emergency Management will also supplement and improve the Hazardous Chemicals Classification Information Table. This means that the five newly added chemicals will be assigned clear hazard classifications and corresponding safety management requirements, providing companies with clearer guidance for compliant operations.

Strengthening source control to ensure safety

The inclusion of these five chemicals in the hazardous chemicals catalogue is an important regulatory decision made on the basis of chemical safety risk assessment results. By bringing chemicals with potential hazards into the regulatory scope in a timely manner, the authorities can more effectively strengthen source-level control and prevent or defuse major safety risks.

For companies involved in the production, storage, use, operation, and transportation of the relevant chemicals, this adjustment means they will need to comply with hazardous chemicals management requirements, strictly fulfill their primary safety responsibilities, improve safety management systems, strengthen personnel training, and ensure that all safety measures are properly implemented.

Industry impact: compliance requirements become clearer

This catalogue adjustment will further standardize market order for the relevant chemicals and push companies to improve their safety management standards. For sectors such as chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and agrochemicals that may involve these substances, close attention to the policy change will be necessary, along with corresponding adjustments to production and operating strategies to ensure compliant operations.

Regulators said they will continue to strengthen hazardous chemicals safety supervision, improve the dynamic adjustment mechanism for the catalogue, and promptly bring newly identified hazardous chemicals into the regulatory system in order to better protect people’s lives and property.