Korean REACH regulation "K-REACH" will be passed in 2013
In late October of this year, the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (NIER) announced that the Korean Chemical Substances Registration and Evaluation Act "K-REACH" (the Korean version of the REACH regulation) is expected to be passed in the first half of 2013 and take effect in 2015.
It is reported that at the Korea Chemical Substances Management Association (KCMA) meeting held in Seoul on October 23, 2012, NIER representatives emphasized that it is difficult to predict whether the Korean National Assembly will revise the "K-REACH" draft, but based on past experience, even if it does, it will likely be a minor revision. Currently, South Korea is conducting several pilot projects to gather stakeholders' ideas and opinions on K-REACH implementation, guidance document development, and reducing the burden on businesses. Seven substances, including styrene and phenol, have been selected for pilot registration. These pilot projects are scheduled for completion in 2013.
Although the requirement for "pre-registration" of existing substances in the original K-REACH draft was removed earlier this year, the draft still stipulates that manufacturers and importers producing or importing more than 1 tonne per year must notify the tonnage of the substance and basic hazard information. This notification information will serve as the basis for the Korean Ministry of Environment (MoE) to select Priority Evaluation Substances (PECs). Like new chemical substances, PECs also require registration, but will have an eight-year grace period similar to the EU REACH regulation. The relevant departments will release a new draft list of PECs at the end of 2013 or the beginning of 2014 and will establish a platform for companies to submit registration applications.
NIER will be responsible for conducting hazard assessments on all registered substances and determining which substances are classified as hazardous chemicals. Hazardous chemicals and chemicals produced in quantities exceeding 100 tonnes per year will also require risk assessments and the preparation of Chemical Safety Reports (CSRs). NIER is drafting supporting regulations for CSRs, which will be released along with guidance documents after the pilot program concludes. Similar to the EU REACH regulation, some hazardous chemicals and chemicals produced in quantities exceeding 100 tonnes per year will also face authorization and restrictions after registration.
The final draft of "K-REACH" also stipulates that companies need to communicate information such as hazard and risk management throughout the supply chain using Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS), and requires the MoE to publish a basic plan for hazard and risk assessment of chemical substances every five years. Under "K-REACH," companies are required to jointly register substances that are commonly produced or imported, but companies can also submit independent registration dossiers for the purpose of protecting company data security. Similarly, under "K-REACH," registration dossiers must be updated according to changes in the circulation, use, or other aspects of the chemical substance.
K-REACH also follows the principle of data sharing. If relevant vertebrate experimental data already exists, companies cannot repeat the experiment. If the authorities believe that the data submitted by the company is still insufficient, they can request the company to submit further information. In cases where some data is lacking, companies can first submit a test proposal in their registration dossier.
Sources: REACH Technology (2012-10-23)
