EU POPs Update the Limit Requirements for PCP

On 23 February 2021, the Official Journal of the European Union published Regulation (EU) 2021/277, amending Annex I to Regulation (EU) 2019/1021 of POPs to update the limit for PCP. The regulations will enter into force 20 days after publication in the Official Gazette.

Previously, Pentachlorophenol and its salts and esters are listed in Annex I to Regulation (EU) 2019/1021 without an Unintentional Trace Contaminant (UTC) limit value. On June 9, 2020, the European Commission decided to clear the limit for PCP by consulting the opinions of the expert group, so as to achieve the original intention of the regulation and ensure the normal and good operation of the market.

The amendments are shown in the following :

PCP, pentachlorophenol and its salts and esters, is mainly used as an agricultural herbicide, preservative and mildew inhibitor for textiles, leather, paper and wood. PCP, with high adsorbability and strong biological accumulation, is not oxidized and not easily hydrolyzed. In addition, PCP has teratogenic and carcinogenic risks to people, and is extremely harmful to the human and the environment.

Many member states of the European Union have their own regulations on PCP, most of which set a limit of 5mg/kg, with the most stringent limit of 0.5mg/kg. Considering the POPs regulations have set a stricter limit on PCP, the Annex XVII of the REACH regulation deleted item 22 for PCP requirements.