Recently, the Australian Industrial Chemicals Introduction Scheme (AICIS) has released seven draft evaluations of industrial chemicals for public comment, covering 21 substances listed on the Australian Inventory of Industrial Chemicals (AIIC), including dichloromethane, Lilial, Bourgeonal, Thymol, and 2,2-dichloroacetic acid. Comments are due by 26 November 2026.
The Seven Draft Evaluations and Proposed Outcomes
The draft evaluations provide safety information on the import, manufacture, and use of the relevant substances in Australia, including AICIS's conclusions on their potential risks to human health or the environment and the proposed risk management recommendations. The details of the seven drafts are set out below (the table is reproduced as originally published on the AICIS website, with the column headers being, in order, the subject of evaluation, the focus, the use, the proposed outcome, and the evaluation number):
|
Subject of evaluation |
Focus |
Use |
Proposed outcome |
Evaluation |
|
Methane, dichloro- (Dichloromethane) |
Health |
Adhesives and sealants; Chemical intermediate; Cleaning and furniture care products; Lubricants and greases; Paints and coatings; Plastic and polymer products |
Recommendation to regulatory body (public health); Recommendation to regulatory body (workers); Recommendation to regulatory body (consumer products); Information relating to safe introduction and use |
EVA00188 |
|
Lilial and Bourgeonal |
Health |
Air care products; Cleaning and furniture care products; Laundry and dishwashing products; Personal care products not covered by other end uses |
Recommendation to regulatory body (public health); Recommendation to regulatory body (workers); Information relating to safe introduction and use |
EVA00189 |
|
Phenol, 5-methyl-2-(1-methylethyl)- (Thymol) |
Health |
Air care products; Cleaning and furniture care products; Laundry and dishwashing products; Personal care products not covered by other end uses |
Recommendation to regulatory body (workers); Information relating to safe introduction and use |
EVA00190 |
|
Acetic acid, 2,2-dichloro- |
Health |
Automotive care products; Chemical intermediate; Fabric, textile and leather products not covered by other end uses; Laundry and dishwashing products; Personal care products not covered by other end uses |
Recommendation to regulatory body (workers); Information relating to safe introduction and use |
EVA00192 |
|
Alkyl and aryl substituted para-phenylenediamines |
Environment |
Fuel, oil, fuel oil additives and related products; Lubricants and greases; Plastic and polymer products |
No new means of managing risk are proposed |
EVA00207 |
|
Benzene, 1,1'-sulfonylbis[4-chloro- |
Environment |
Chemical intermediate; Plastic and polymer products |
Recommendation to regulatory body (environment) |
EVA00209 |
|
Phosphorodithioic acid, mixed O,O-bis(2-ethylhexyl and iso-Bu and iso-Pr) S-[3a,4,5,6,7,7a-hexahydro-4,7-methano-1H-inden-5(or 6)-yl] esters |
Environment |
Lubricants and greases |
Recommendation to regulatory body (environment) |
EVA00212 |
Of the seven drafts, four are health evaluations, covering dichloromethane; Lilial and Bourgeonal; Thymol; and 2,2-dichloroacetic acid, respectively, while three are environment evaluations, covering alkyl- and aryl-substituted para-phenylenediamines; 4,4'-dichlorodiphenyl sulfone; and a phosphorodithioate ester mixture used as a lubricant additive, respectively. Except for the evaluation of alkyl- and aryl-substituted para-phenylenediamines, which proposes no new measures for managing risk, the remaining six drafts each propose making risk management recommendations to regulatory bodies, covering public health, occupational health, consumer products, environmental protection, and other aspects.
Consultation Process
The consultation closes on 26 November 2026. Comments may be submitted via the online form on the consultation page of the AICIS website. When submitting, respondents may choose to comment on one or more of the drafts, providing feedback separately on exposure information, hazard information, and other matters, and may upload files in formats such as PDF and Word as attachments. After the consultation, AICIS will review all comments received and refine the drafts, and the final evaluation reports will be published on its website and announced separately.
ChemRadar Insights
The 21 substances are widely used in adhesives, paints and coatings, cleaning and furniture care products, personal care products, lubricants, fuels, polymers, and other sectors. Enterprises that intend to export the above substances to Australia or to introduce or use them in Australia are advised to promptly check whether their products are covered by the draft evaluations, assess the potential impact of the proposed risk management recommendations, and submit comments before the deadline.
