On 17 December, 2014, the European Commission has published the regulation (EU) No 1342/2014 to amend the Regulation (EC) No 850/2004 on persistent organic pollutants (POPs) as regards Annexes IV and V. It shall apply from 18 June 2015.

The main content of the revision:

The regulation establishes minimum concentration limits for brominated diphenyl ethers and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid and its derivatives

Adds hexachlorobutadiene, polychlorinated naphthalenes, short-chain chlorinated paraffins and endosulfan to Annex V

POPs -Persistent Organic Pollutants

POPs (Persistent Organic Pollutants) is the ability to migrate long distances through various environmental media (air, water, organisms, etc.), and persist in the environment, with a long residual, bioaccumulative, semi-volatile and highly toxic organic chemicals to human health and the environment, such as DDT (DDT), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), hexachlorobenzene (HCB), short-chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCP) and so on. Therefore, the major companies and enterprises, more and more attention to control POPs in products. Some POPs such as SCCP, PCBs were included in the environmental management substances list of electrical and electronic products.

Short Chain Chlorinated Paraffins (SCCP) was identified as a POP substance, and added to the prohibited list of Regulation (EC) No 850/2004 by the Regulation (EU) No 519/2012 amendment of 19 June 2012. It is normally used as leather coating, plasticizer in PVC and chlorinated rubber, flame retardant in plastic & textiles.

The amendment restricts the substances or mixtures containing equal to or more than 1% SCCP. It also bans articles containing SCCP from 11 January 2013. In 2013 and 2014, 28 kinds of products in the European Union were recalled due to the presence of SCCP, including toys, purses, case for smartphones and jump rope.