On January 21, 2026, Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, and Ministry of the Environment jointly released the draft ministerial ordinance for the designation of chemical substances based on the “Order for Enforcement of the Chemical Substances Control Law.” The draft proposes to list 117 chemical substances, including perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS) and its related compounds, as “Class I Specified Chemical Substances” under the Chemical Substances Control Law (CSCL), subjecting them to strict regulatory control. The draft is now open for public comments, with the consultation period ending on February 19, 2026. The formal legislation is expected to be promulgated around April 2026 and is scheduled to take effect from June 17, 2026. Relevant enterprises are advised to closely monitor the legislative progress, conduct timely compliance assessments, and adjust production strategies and supply chain arrangements in advance.

117 substances were added to the Japan CSCL-Class I Specified Chemical Substances-Feb 3,2026

On January 27, 2026, the Australian government issued a notification announcing the release of assessment statements for four industrial chemicals in accordance with Section 37 of the Industrial Chemicals Act 2019.

4 substances were added to the Australian Inventory of Industrial Chemicals (AIIC)-Jan 30,2026

Recently, the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) announced the addition of N-methyl-N-formylhydrazine to the Proposition 65 list as a carcinogen. On the same day, OEHHA also announced that it is adding the developmental toxicity endpoint to the listing for bisphenol S (BPS). Both amendments took effect on December 8, 2025.

California’s Proposition 65, officially known as the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986, was enacted through a ballot initiative in November 1986. The law is designed to protect the state’s drinking water sources from contamination by chemicals known to cause cancer, birth defects, or other reproductive harm, and it requires businesses to inform Californians about exposures to such chemicals.

2 substances were added to the U.S. California The Proposition 65 List

On January 21, 2026, the Ministry of Emergency Management, in conjunction with multiple departments, issued an announcement proposing to include five highly hazardous chemicals—3-Chloropropyne, 2-Iodoxybenzoic acid, 4-Nitrobenzyl 2-diazoacetoacetate, Methane sulfonyl azide, and 3-Methyl-2-nitrobenzoic acid—into the Catalogue of Hazardous Chemicals. For details, please refer to the Notice on Public Solicitation of Comments on the Announcement (Draft for Comment) Regarding the Inclusion of Five Chemicals Including 3-Chloropropargyl into the Catalogue of Hazardous Chemicals.

This initiative aims to strengthen the regulation of high-risk chemicals from the source and represents a crucial measure to enhance the full life-cycle safety management of hazardous chemicals. The announcement is currently open for public comments until February 21, 2026.

5 substances proposed for inclusion to the China Catalog of Hazardous Chemicals

The European Union’s Drinking Water Directive (DWD) is designed to protect human health by guaranteeing that water remains safe and uncontaminated from the source to the tap. Under the Directive, every starting substance, composition or constituent used in materials and products that come into contact with drinking water must be included in an EU-wide “positive list” adopted at Union level.
Established under Article 11 of the Directive, this positive list is a legally binding authorisation schedule. It specifies, for each material family (organic, metallic, cement-based, ceramic and other inorganic materials), the exact substances that may be used, their permitted concentration ranges, strict conditions of use and maximum migration limits into water, thereby controlling chemical safety at the source.
The list is organised in four separate Annexes, each dealing with a distinct material category:
Annex I – European Positive List of starting substances for organic materials
Annex II – European Positive List of compositions for metallic materials
Annex III – European Positive List of organic constituents for cement-based materials
Annex IV – European Positive List of compositions for enamels, ceramics and other inorganic materials
Any manufacturer or supplier wishing to add, update or delete an entry must follow the prescribed procedure: file a notification of intent with the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) and, within 12 months, submit a complete application dossier. The substance may be used only after a favourable scientific assessment and formal inclusion in the list.

EU Positive List of the DWD is available

On January 19, 2026, the Australian government issued a notification, under Section 82 of the Industrial Chemicals Act 2019 (IC Act), to list four industrial chemicals that have been issued assessment certificates for five years into the Australian Inventory of Industrial Chemicals (hereinafter referred to as the Inventory). At the same time, under Section 94 of the Industrial Chemicals Act 2019, the listing terms of one chemical were modified because the approval for the industrial chemical's proper name as confidential business information (CBI) had been revoked.

5 substances were added to the Australian Inventory of Industrial Chemicals (AIIC)-Jan 20,2026

The Safer Chemical Ingredients List (SCIL), a cornerstone of EPA’s Safer Choice Program, identifies and promotes ingredients that are safer for human health and the environment. All listed chemicals have passed EPA’s stringent review and serve as authoritative sourcing guidance for manufacturers of cleaning products, personal-care items, industrial formulations and other consumer goods.
SCIL conveys each ingredient’s hazard profile through an intuitive four-tier icon system:
*Green circle – verified low hazard on the basis of robust experimental and modeled data.
*Green half-circle – expected low hazard; additional data would further strengthen confidence.
*Yellow triangle – functionally necessary but has some hazard-profile gaps. These best-in-class ingredients (e.g., certain preservatives or solvents) are the safest currently available for their specific use, yet their function remains a priority for safer-chemistry innovation.
*Grey square – under review for potential removal. Manufacturers have 12 months to submit justification; otherwise the chemical is delisted.
By flagging yellow-triangle and grey-square substances, the system not only helps formulators quickly select safer inputs and avoid high-concern chemicals, but also steers the supply chain toward continuous innovation and higher safety standards.

U.S. Safer Chemical Ingredients List is available

On January 9, 2026, the Australian Government issued a notice under section 94 of the Industrial Chemicals Act 2019, amending the inventory listing terms for two chemicals following the revocation of the approval to use the correct industrial chemical names as Confidential Business Information (CBI).

2 substances were added to the Australian Inventory of Industrial Chemicals (AIIC)-Jan 13,2026

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) established the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) database under Section 313 of the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA). The database is intended to provide the public with information on toxic chemical releases from industrial facilities, thereby enhancing societal awareness of and oversight over environmental pollution. The current TRI toxic chemical list contains 799 individually listed chemicals and 33 chemical categories.
Recent years have seen an expansion in PFAS monitoring under the TRI:
-Reporting year 2022: 4 PFAS added
-Reporting year 2023: 9 PFAS added
-Reporting year 2024: 7 PFAS added
-Reporting year 2025: 9 PFAS added

U.S. Toxics Release Inventory is available

On 29 September 2021, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, together with the National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, issued Announcement No. 44 of 2021, revising the China List of Ozone Depleting Substances Subject to Control. The update fulfills obligations under the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer, the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer and its amendments, and is issued under the Regulation on the Administration of Ozone Depleting Substances. The following nine classes of chemicals are now subject to strict control:
1.Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs);
2.Halons;
3.Carbon tetrachloride (CTC);
4.Methyl chloroform;
5.Hydrobromofluorocarbons;
6.Bromochloromethane;
7.Methyl bromide;
8.Hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs);
9.Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) — newly added control category.
To implement the phase-down commitments, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment has recently published two prohibitions:
A ban on the production of polyurethane foams using 1,1-dichloro-1-fluoroethane (HCFC-141b) as a blowing agent;
A ban on the production of household refrigerators and freezers using hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) as refrigerants.
With the progressive elimination of HCFC-141b and HFCs in relevant products, China has entered a new phase of ozone-layer protection and greenhouse-gas mitigation.

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