regulation on persistent organic pollutants (pops)
the definition of persistent organic pollutants (pops) is "chemical substances harmful to humans that exist in or accumulate within the bodies of animals and plants, and circulate in the natural environment over extended periods." these are a class of naturally occurring or synthetic organic pollutants characterized by persistence, bioaccumulation, semi-volatility, and high toxicity. they include pesticides (e.g., ddt), industrial chemicals (such as polychlorinated biphenyls, pcbs), and by-products unintentionally generated during industrial processes (e.g., dioxins and furans). these pollutants can travel long distances through various environmental media (air, water, organisms), crossing borders and affecting human health and ecosystems even in areas where they were never used or produced, causing significant global harm.
the control of pops has gained increasing attention. the global community established the stockholm convention on persistent organic pollutants on may 22, 2001, aiming to protect human health and the environment from the hazards of pops. the european union (eu) is a party to the convention and is obligated to fulfill its provisions. in accordance with this requirement, the eu issued the pops regulation (ec) 850/2004 in april 2004 and released the updated pops regulation (eu) 2019/1021 on june 25, 2019. this new regulation came into effect on july 15, 2019.
on august 8, 2023, the european commission published the amendment (eu) 2023/1608 to the eu pops regulation (eu) 2019/1021, formally adding pfhxs and its salts and related substances to annex i of the eu pops regulation.
the main objectives of the regulation for substances listed in the stockholm convention's annex include:
- prohibition or strict restriction of the production, placing on the market, and use of pops.
- minimizing environmental emissions of pops formed as industrial by-products.
- ensuring safe management of stored restricted pops.
- ensuring environmentally sound disposal of waste containing or contaminated by pops.
the eu pops regulation's list of banned substances is provided in the table below:
substance name | limit | applicability | ||
short-chain chlorinated paraffins (sccp) | ＜10000 mg/kg | substance, mixture | ||
＜1500 mg/kg | articles | |||
hexabromocyclododecane (hbcdd) | ＜100 mg/kg | substance, mixture, articles, and flame-retarded parts of articles | ||
perfluorooctane sulfonic acid and derivatives (pfos) | ＜10 mg/kg | substance or mixture | ||
＜1 μg/㎡ | coating materials (textile or other products) | |||
＜1000 mg/kg | articles | |||
tetrabromodiphenyl ether, pentabromodiphenyl ether, hexabromodiphenyl ether, heptabromodiphenyl ether, decabromodiphenyl ether | single＜10 mg/kg | substance | ||
sum＜500 mg/kg | mixture, articles | |||
hexabromobiphenyl, hexachlorobutadiene, pentachlorobenzene, polychlorinated naphthalenes, polychlorinated biphenyls | prohibited | substance, mixture, or articles | ||
hexachlorobenzene | ≤10 mg/kg | substance, mixture, or articles | ||
pentachlorophenol and its salts and esters | ≤5 mg/kg | substance, mixture, or articles | ||
aldrin, dieldrin, endrin, chlordane, heptachlor, mirex, toxaphene, hexachlorocyclohexane (including lindane), endosulfan, decachlorobiphenyl oxide, dicofol, and methoxychlor | prohibited | substance, mixture, or articles | ||
perfluorooctanoic acid and salts (pfoa) | ＜25 μg/kg | substance, mixture, or articles | ||
pfoa-related substances | ＜1mg/kg | substance, mixture, or articles | ||
perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (pfhxs) and its salts | ≤25 μg/kg | ≤0.1 mg/kg | substance, mixture, or articles | concentrated firefighting foam mixture (for immediate use or for production of other fire-extinguishing foam mixtures) |
pfhxs-related substances | ≤1mg/kg | substance, mixture, or articles | ||
cirs c&k testing can provide professional analytical and testing services for pops upon customer request. in addition, we offer comprehensive one-stop solutions that integrate consulting, testing, and certification services. please feel free to contact us at test@cirs-group.com if you have any questions. with a team of experienced specialists, c&k testing ensures the quality and safety of your products through professional testing services in accordance with various standards.
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