On December 25, 2025, to implement the Action Plan for the Management of New Pollutants, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment of China, together with the National Disease Control and Prevention Administration, officially released the Priority Controlled Substances List (Third Batch) (Announcement No. 43 of 2025). This batch includes 23 types of chemicals. Their production and use primarily involve industries such as petrochemicals, plastics, rubber, pharmaceuticals, textiles, dyes, coatings, pesticides, leather, and electroplating.

The Priority Controlled Substances List focuses on chemicals that pose significant environmental and health hazards, may persist in the environment long-term, and present unreasonable risks to ecosystems or human health. Selection is primarily based on factors including environmental behavior characteristics (persistence, bioaccumulation), environmental and health hazard attributes (aquatic toxicity, carcinogenicity, mutagenicity, reproductive toxicity, endocrine-disrupting properties, specific target organ toxicity from repeated exposure, etc.), and environmental exposure scenarios (domestic production/usage volume, application distribution, public exposure frequency).

The previous two batches of the list collectively included 40 types of chemicals, covering various human carcinogens, persistent organic pollutants, and heavy metal substances, involving sectors such as chemical manufacturing, light industry, plastics, rubber, and pharmaceuticals.

For substances listed in the Priority Controlled Substances List (Third Batch), environmental risk control measures should be implemented targeting key stages where environmental and health risks arise, considering economic and technical feasibility, to minimize the impact of their production and use on human health and the environment.

The third batch of substances were added to the China Inventory of Priority Controlled Substances

On December 26, 2025, the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare announced that, in accordance with the provisions of the Industrial Safety and Health Act (ISHA), 131 chemical substances have been added to the existing list of chemical substances. These newly added chemical substances are primarily those commonly used in the workplace and may affect the health of workers.
The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare pointed out that for the newly added chemical substances, companies no longer need to submit a declaration to the Ministry when producing or importing these substances, which helps to simplify the compliance process for businesses. Nevertheless, companies are still required to comply with other safety regulations, including providing Safety Data Sheets (SDS), implementing necessary health and safety measures, and conducting occupational health monitoring.
Furthermore, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare emphasized that for chemical substances not listed on the existing ISHA list, companies still need to conduct assessments and declarations before production or importation, including submitting detailed information on the chemical substances, safety data, potential risks, and intended use, for a more stringent risk assessment and regulation. This ensures that the use of these chemical substances in the workplace does not pose a threat to the health of employees.

167 substances were added to the Japan ISHA-Newly Announced Chemical Substances

On December 17, 2025, Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare issued an update notice, adding 32 confirmed CAS numbers to the list of newly announced chemical substances published after April 1, 2011.

34 confirmed links of CAS RNs were added to the Japan CSCL-Newly Announced Chemical Substances (notified by April 1,2011)

The Existing and New Chemical Substances Inventory (ENCS) of Japan has been updated to the latest version, incorporating updates from the official announcements made on December 17, 2025.

Substances were added to the Japan Existing and New Chemical Substances Inventory (ENCS)-(as of Dec 17,2025)

Chemradar has updated the Japan ISHA Substances Subject to Labeling and Document (SDS) Delivery System to the latest version, adding a total of 779 chemical substances that will be subject to labeling and SDS submission obligations under the Occupational Safety and Health Act effective April 1, 2026.

Update the Japan ISHA Substances Subject to Labeling and Document (SDS) Delivery System to the Latest Version

On December 15, 2025, the Australian government issued a notice updating the chemical names of 89 substances to their Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) names in accordance with Section 85 of the Industrial Chemicals Act 2019. These corrections do not change the identity of the chemical substances themselves.

Corrects Names of 89 Chemicals in the Australian Inventory of Industrial Chemicals (AIIC)

On December 9, 2025, the Australian government issued a notice to include one industrial chemical in the Australian Inventory of Industrial Chemicals (hereinafter referred to as the "Inventory") in accordance with Section 82 of the Industrial Chemicals Act 2019. Simultaneously, under Section 83 of the same act, another industrial chemical was also included in the Inventory.

2 substances were added to the Australian Inventory of Industrial Chemicals (AIIC)

On December 2, 2025, the Australian Government issued a notification to include a chemical substance in the Australian Inventory of Industrial Chemicals, in compliance with Section 82 of the Industrial Chemicals Act 2019.

A substance was added to the Australian Inventory of Industrial Chemicals (AIIC)

Vietnam National Chemical Inventory, officially known as the National Chemical Inventory (NCI), is a fundamental and crucial official list within Vietnam's chemical management system. Jointly administered by multiple Vietnamese government agencies, it aims to identify, track, and regulate chemical substances produced, imported, or circulated within Vietnam, providing data support for national chemical safety, environmental protection, and public health policies.
Chemical substances not listed in the inventory are considered new chemical substances. After the Vietnam Law on Chemicals (2025 Edition) (65/2025/QH15) comes into effect, such new chemical substances will require corresponding notification and evaluation procedures before they can enter the market.
Currently, the detailed implementation guidelines for new chemical substance registration have not been officially released. It is advisable to make early preparations for registration, closely follow subsequent notices from the competent authorities, and refer to the relevant provisions on new chemical management in the Vietnam Law on Chemicals (2025 Edition).

Vietnam National Chemical Inventory (NCI) is available

On November 19, 2025, the General Office of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment of China and the Comprehensive Department of the National Disease Control and Prevention Administration jointly issued an announcement. To implement the requirement stated in the “Action Plan for the Governance of New Pollutants” (issued by the General Office of the State Council [2022] No. 15) for dynamically updating the list of priority-controlled chemicals, the two agencies have continued to screen and assess the environmental risks of new pollutants. Based on recent work outcomes, they have organized the compilation of the “List of Priority-Controlled Chemicals (Third Batch) (Draft for Public Comment)”. The public comment period is open until December 2, 2025.

This draft list comprises 24 chemical substances, the production and use of which are primarily related to sectors such as petrochemicals, plastics, rubber, pharmaceuticals, textiles, dyes, coatings, pesticides, leather, and electroplating.

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