On 24 July 2023, Singapore’s National Environment Agency (NEA) announced that the listings for four substances (dechlorane plus, methoxychlor, UV-328, and terbufos) will be changed due to the decision at the 11^th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions (COP11). Currently the four substances are regulated under the Hazardous Substances under the Environmental Protection and Management Act (EPMA) and the Environmental Protection and Management (Hazardous Substances) Regulations

COP11 meeting

At the 11^th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions (COP11) in May 2023 it was decided to add dechlorane plus, methoxychlor and UV-328 to Annex A of the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs).  Annex A lists the chemicals for which Parties must take action to eliminate their production and use. Details about the three substances can be found here.

It was furthermore decided to list Terbufos in Annex III of the Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade. Annex III lists the chemicals that are subject to the prior informed consent (PIC) procedure. Terbufos is a soil insecticide used commonly on sorghum, maize, beet and potatoes and is known to pose a high to extremely high risk to aquatic organisms, birds, and small mammals due to its toxicity.

Timeline

22 October 2023: From this date the import and export of Terbufos will be subject to the PIC procedure of the Rotterdam Convention. This means that prior approval must be obtained from the Chemical Control and Management Department (CCMD) for every export of the chemical. Furthermore, the CCMD must be notified at least one month prior to the expected date of export.

12 May 2024: The manufacture, import, and export of dechlorane plus, methoxychlor, and UVA-328 as well as products containing these chemicals will not be allowed in Singapore. Companies with existing stock of the chemicals and/or their products imported before this date are allowed to deplete their stocks locally.

Singapore has recently updated its standards for chemical classifications, labelling, and safety data sheets (SDSs) to conform to the seventh version of the UN's Globally Harmonized System (GHS) of chemical classification and labelling. These updates, which took effect on February 6th, are mandatory for companies involved in the manufacture, import, supply, use, or handling of hazardous substances in Singapore.

They are outlined in Singapore Standard (SS) 586 and changes include:

-  increased labelling and training requirements,

-  the addition of a new appendix with guidance on labelling for small containers,

- alignment with GHS requirements for toxicity values,

- revised SDS requirements,

- the addition of a new appendix providing guidance on describing and determining the empirical data of a substance or mixture,

- an updated annex that permits the use of generic and masking names to safeguard confidential business information (CBI).

To read more about Singapore chemical regulation and news related to it, click here: https://www.gpcgateway.com/common/regulation/NDQ-/U2luZ2Fwb3Jl