New Zealand Intends to Regulate Three POP Chemicals

SafeGuardSAutomotive, Electrical & Electronics, Hardgoods, Personal and Protective Equipment, Softlines, Toys and Juvenile ProductsAugust 06, 2024

SG 124/24

New Zealand has launched a consultation on its proposal to regulate methoxychlor, dechlorane plus and UV-328 as persistent organic pollutants (POP). The proposed date of entry into force is February 26, 2025.

In May 2023, the Conference of the Parties to the Stockholm Convention added three chemicals to Annex A (elimination) of the convention.

These three chemicals were:

Methoxychlor, with no specific exemptions (Decision SC-11/9)
Dechlorane Plus, with specific exemptions (Decision SC-11/10)
UV-328, with specific exemptions (Decision SC-11/11)

In July 2024, New Zealand’s Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) announced a proposal to restrict/prohibit the aforementioned three chemicals as new persistent organic pollutants (POP) by amending Schedule 1AA and 2A of the nation’s Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act (HSNO Act, version as at December, 2023).

Highlights of the description and uses of these three POP chemicals in the proposal are summarized in Table 1.

Entrance	Substance	Description and uses
1	Dechlorane Plus (DP, CAS 13560-89-9), including its two isomers: syn-DP (CAS 135821-03-3) anti-DP (CAS 135821-74-8)	Flame retardant in adhesives, polymers and sealants Cables and wires in motor vehicles Consumer electronics Electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) Marine, garden, forestry, agriculture and construction machinery Medical and radiotherapy applications
2	Methoxychlor, referring to any possible isomer of dimethoxydiphenyltrichloroethane or any combination thereof	Organochlorine pesticide, which has historically been used as an insecticide in agricultural and veterinary settings, as well as in domestic environments
3	UV-328 (CAS 25973-55-1)	Additive in plastics, printing inks and rubber for outdoor furniture, construction materials, wood products and the non-food contact layer of food packaging Applications in leather and textiles Automotive coatings, paints, plastics, rubber and sealants Automotive fluids, including cooling and hydraulic liquids, and lubricants in motor oil Ultra-violet (UV) absorber to protect materials against discoloration and degradation under UV light (sunlight)

Table 1

According to the announcement, comments will be accepted until September 4, 2024.

The proposed listings are intended to enter into force on February 26, 2025.

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