On 28 October 2026, Commission Regulation (EU) 2026/2412 was published in the Official Journal of the European Union, amending the EU list of food contact materials under Regulation (EU) No 10/2011 by adding four substances authorised for use in food contact materials.

The Regulation entered into force on 18 November 2026 — the twentieth day following its publication — and is directly applicable in all Member States.

4 substances were added to the EU 10/2011

On October 19, 2026, the UK's Health and Safety Executive (HSE) officially added nine categories (23 substances) to the UK REACH SVHC Candidate List. This update covers multiple substance classes, including flame retardants, plasticizers, UV absorbers, and fluorinated compounds, further expanding the scope of the UK SVHC list.

23 substances were added to the UK REACH Candidate List of Substances of Very High Concern (SVHCs) for Authorisation

On 26 October 2026, the Australian Industrial Chemicals Introduction Scheme (AICIS) issued a notice announcing that, pursuant to section 85 of the Industrial Chemicals Act 2019, the names of 58 chemical substances listed on the Australian Inventory of Industrial Chemicals (AIIC) — predominantly polysiloxanes and siloxanes — had been corrected to their CAS names. The corrections, which took effect on 23 October 2026, do not alter the identity of the substances themselves, and no additional notification is required from introducers.

Corrects Names of 58 Chemicals in the Australian Inventory of Industrial Chemicals (AIIC)

The Australia List of Chemicals of Security Concern is managed by the Australian Government under the National Code of Practice for Chemicals of Security Concern. The Council of Australian Governments (COAG) identified 96 chemicals of security concern in 2013, of which 15 are high-risk chemicals, including 11 chemical precursors that can be used to make homemade explosives and 4 high-risk chemicals that can be used to make toxic devices.

Australia List of Chemicals of Security Concern is available

The EU List of Nanomaterials is data published by the European Union Observatory for Nanomaterials (EUON), an online information platform hosted and maintained by the European Commission and the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA). EUON aims to provide policymakers, consumers, environmental organizations and businesses with reliable and neutral information on nanomaterials currently on the EU market. It integrates nanoform data from REACH registration dossiers, nanomaterial ingredient data under EU cosmetics legislation, and national nanomaterial inventory data from Belgium and France, covering more than 300 nanomaterials.

EU List of Nanomaterials is available

The Hongkong Hazardous Chemicals Control Ordinance (Chapter 595) was enacted by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region to fulfill its international obligations under the Stockholm Convention (which controls persistent organic pollutants) and the Rotterdam Convention (which controls international trade in hazardous chemicals). The schedules classify chemicals into two categories: Part 1 chemicals mainly include persistent organic pollutants regulated by the Stockholm Convention, such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), hexabromobiphenyl, and hexachlorobenzene; Part 2 chemicals mainly include industrial chemicals regulated by the Rotterdam Convention, such as asbestos. Manufacturing, importing, exporting, or using controlled chemicals all require obtaining the corresponding permits.

China, Hongkong Hazardous Chemicals Control Ordinance is available

The China Recommended Catalogue of Alternatives to Ozone-Depleting Substances was jointly formulated by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE) and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) of the People's Republic of China in accordance with the provisions of the "Regulations on the Administration of Ozone-Depleting Substances." It aims to promote the phase-out of hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) and guide industries toward selecting green and low-carbon alternatives. The list specifies the application types and primary application fields of the substituted substances and their substitutes. It recommends a total of 23 substitutes for three types of HCFCs, covering categories such as refrigerants, foaming agents, and cleaning agents, while indicating the Ozone Depletion Potential (ODP) and Global Warming Potential (GWP) of each substitute.

China Recommended Catalogue of Alternatives to Ozone-Depleting Substances is available

On 2 October 2026, the Australian Industrial Chemicals Introduction Scheme (AICIS) issued a notice under Section 85 of the Industrial Chemicals Act 2019 to standardise the English names of 105 chemical substances listed on the Australian Inventory of Industrial Chemicals (AIIC) to align with the nomenclature of the American Chemical Society's Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS), with corresponding updates made to the molecular formulas of two of these substances. These corrections do not alter the identity of the chemical substances concerned, and their CAS Registry Numbers remain unchanged.

Corrects Names of 105 Chemicals in the Australian Inventory of Industrial Chemicals (AIIC)

The China Catalogue of Highly Toxic Substances was issued by the Ministry of Health of the People's Republic of China on June 10, 2003 (Wei Fa Jian Fa [2003] No. 142) in accordance with the Law on Prevention and Control of Occupational Diseases and the Regulations on Labor Protection in Workplaces Using Toxic Articles. The directory lists a total of 54 highly toxic substances, including benzene, ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, chlorine, phosgene, mercury, cadmium and its compounds, acrylonitrile, formaldehyde, TDI, hydrogen fluoride, and yellow phosphorus. The state implements special management for the use of highly toxic substances in workplaces, and employers must adopt effective protective measures to prevent occupational poisoning accidents.

China Catalogue of Highly Toxic Substances is available

To implement the guiding principles of the Opinions of the General Office of the CPC Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council on Comprehensively Strengthening Work Safety in Relation to Hazardous Chemicals (Ting Zi [2020] No. 3) and the Implementation Plan of the Shenzhen Municipal Safety Management Committee on Comprehensively Strengthening Work Safety in Relation to Hazardous Chemicals (Shen'an [2021] No. 5), and to strengthen the safety management of hazardous chemicals in Shenzhen, the Municipal Emergency Management Bureau organized the revision of the Shenzhen Catalogue of Prohibited, Restricted and Controlled Hazardous Chemicals (2022 Edition). The Catalogue was issued on March 29, 2022 and, upon deliberation and approval by the Shenzhen Municipal People's Government, took effect on June 1, 2022, with a validity period of five years.

The Catalogue applies tiered, category-based management and control over hazardous chemicals, comprising 82 substances prohibited throughout the city, 614 subject to restriction and control in urban core areas, and 958 subject to restriction and control in non-urban core areas.

The Catalogue (2027 Edition) is currently under revision. A draft for public comments was released in August 2026, and the new edition is expected to be issued and implemented in 2027.

Update History