SG 030/25
Singapore has published two amendments to regulate two hazardous chemicals, which will take effect on August 1, 2025.
In 2024, Singapore’s National Environmental Agency (NEA) consulted on the proposed control of long-chain perfluorocarboxylic acids (LC-PFCAs) and medium-chain chlorinated paraffins (MCCPs) under the nation’s Environmental Protection and Management Act 1999 (EPMA, SafeGuardS 18/24).
These two categories of chemicals are candidate persistent organic pollutants (Candidate POPs) under the Stockholm Convention, an international treaty aimed at protecting human health and the environment from toxic POPs. Singapore signed the Stockholm Convention in May 2001 and ratified it in May 2005. The Convention entered into force for Singapore in August 2005.
These two chemicals have been assessed by the Stockholm Convention Persistent Organic Pollutants Review Committee (POPRC) as highly toxic, persistent and capable of bioaccumulating, causing long-lasting negative environmental effects.
In January 2025, Singapore issued two amendments under its EPMA to regulate LC-PFCAs, MCCPs and products containing these chemicals. These two amendments are:
- S 85/2025 ‘Environmental Protection and Management Act 1999 (Amendment of Second Schedule) Order 2025 (the Order) – amends Part 1 of the Second Schedule to the EPMA
- S 86/2025 ‘Environmental Protection and Management (Hazardous Substances) (Amendment) Regulations 2025 (the Regulations) – amends the Schedule to the Environmental Protection and Management (Hazardous Substances) Regulations (Rg 4)
According to the definitions in the two amendments:
- LC-PFCAs are those with C9-C21 chain lengths, their salts and related compounds
- MCCPs are those with C14-C17 chain lengths
The Order effectively prohibits LC-PFCAs or MCCPs when they are contained in any substance, preparation (mixture) or product, as this amendment does not provide exclusions.
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