The EPA preannounced revisions to the Regulations for New and Existing Chemical Substances Registration (新化學物質及既有化學物質資料登錄辦法), which will extend the deadline to register existing chemical substances in response to the COVID pandemic. Multiple measures are also in place to optimize registration, evaluation, and application, making the current procedure more efficient.

The EPA expressed that it started collecting input from all sectors after the Toxic and Concerned Chemical Substances Control Act (毒性及關注化學物質管理法) was amended and announced on 16 January 2019. Furthermore, after becoming officially effective, the annual application and registration process for existing chemical substances underwent a thorough evaluation based on actual practices observed in 2020. In light of needs arising from implementation and the COVID pandemic, the EPA drafted revisions to the Regulations.

For registration of existing chemical substances, all registration deadlines for most enterprises covered in the amendments shall be extended to the end of 2023, as the industry has been hit hard by the pandemic. This provides registrants ample time for preparation. Once finished registering basic information such as registrant and substance data, enterprises are then given a registration code and deadline to complete registration of the remaining information items. However, there is a limit on the use of intermediate substances at certain sites where the risk of exposure can be better controlled, hence the amendments waive such items from registrations of existing chemical substances.

For annual registration, the amendments require registrants to input the first year of registration. Moreover, to effectively help registrants complete registration, rectification notifications are supplemented with the Water Pollution Control Measures and Text Reporting Management Regulations (水污染防治措施及檢測申報管理辦法) for reference. If the registered data fail to comply with regulations or are incomplete, registrants will be notified to rectify it before a given date, or face a penalty.

The EPA also noted that the amendments simplify many procedures, increasing efficiency. For example, many attached tables are combined, a single effective deadline is set for registering different new chemical substances, and the scope is expanded for substances covered by the part of the Regulations that are no longer applicable. Other changes include adjusting the evaluation period for applications and rectification times, eliminating such requirements as registrants having to keep their application documents, etc.

Excerpt from Major Environmental Policies, June 2021

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