EPA seeks submissions on Chemical Review 2012–2014

EPA seeks submissions on Chemical Review 2012–2014

The Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) is calling for submissions on its application for a modified reassessment of a range of substances under its Chemical Review 2012–2014. This reassessment covers hazardous substance approvals for which new information has become available during that period.

The new information for a number of approved hazardous substances was identified from internal and external sources, which indicated changes were required to some or all of the following aspects of the approvals:

• the approval name of the substance

• the hazard classification(s) applied to the substance

• the controls applied to the substance.

The chemical review is intended as a means of making changes to a number of approvals at once, taking into account the new information available. The application details the changes to approvals that are proposed as a result of the new information.

The EPA encourages companies using substances with approvals listed in this reassessment to determine the impact of the proposed changes. In particular, if the proposed changes could result in a hazardous substance no longer matching an approval, we encourage submissions on the impact of the proposals on the approval status of the substance.

This application includes changes that are required as a result of two reassessments – the reassessment of organophosphate and carbamate pesticides in plant protection products, and the antifouling paints reassessment. Changes were made to the classification of a number of pesticide active ingredients in these reassessments, and these changes need to be applied to substances containing these active ingredients that were not part of the reassessments.

View application details and information

The public are invited to make submissions on the application to the EPA.

The submission period for this application will start on 16 June 2015 and will end on 28 July 2015 at 5pm.

Submissions are an opportunity to provide further information and raise issues about an application. They will inform a Decision-making Committee that will decide whether to approve the application.

Find more information on submissions and the hearing process

For some substance approvals, the EPA does not have the full composition of all substances using that approval. As a result, the EPA has proposed a preliminary updated classification and resulting controls changes for those substances. The EPA encourages companies using these approvals to provide the full composition of the substance using the approval.

A public hearing may be held before a decision is made. The EPA will provide at least 10 working days’ notice of the hearing date, time and place and will provide this information to all submitters.

The proposals made by EPA staff in this application may or may not be supported by the Decision-making Committee and the Committee can choose to accept, reject or modify the recommendations. Note that a modified reassessment under section 63A of the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act 1996 may not revoke an approval given to a hazardous substance under this Act to import or manufacture the substance (section 63A (2)(b) of the Act).

The EPA’s role is to decide on applications under the HSNO Act to import and manufacture hazardous substances. We put controls in place to manage the risks of hazardous substances to safeguard people and the environment.

ENDS

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