Strengthening Safety of Disinfectants for Quarantine and Microplastics... Developing Management Measures

Ministry of Environment, 1st Comprehensive Plan for Management of Household Chemical Products and Biocides (2021~2025)

Disinfectants, Safety Verification and Rapid Approval Inspection Promotion
Establishment of Microplastic Management Roadmap
Promotion of Establishment of 'Chemical Substances and Products Management Evaluation Institute'

Chemical Product Safety Management Infrastructure Diagram.

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Ju Sang-don] The government has decided to strengthen safety management of disinfectants used for quarantine and microplastics in household chemical products, whose usage has surged since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19).

On the 27th, the Ministry of Environment announced that at the 2nd Social Relations Ministers' Meeting chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Yoo Eun-hye, the '1st Comprehensive Plan for the Management of Household Chemical Products and Biocides (2021?2025)' containing such measures was reviewed.

This comprehensive plan includes tasks to advance the safety management system throughout the entire process of chemical products manufacturing, distribution, and consumption, and to establish a foundation for safety management innovation by expanding communication and cooperation with stakeholders such as the industry.

First, the Ministry of Environment plans to expand the number of safety management target items from the current 39 to 50 by 2025. In addition, for COVID-19 quarantine disinfectants, safety verification and approval inspections will be expedited, and a management roadmap for microplastics in household chemical products will be established, including obligations for usage status labeling (2023), reporting of usage amount and details (2024), and announcement of prohibited products (2025), thereby strengthening management.

The government will also expand the certification of products that reduce the use of hazardous substances by substituting with less harmful materials, increase the number of fully disclosed ingredient products, and introduce a 'Safer Household Chemical Products Voluntary Certification System.' Through collaboration among 'government, companies, and civil society,' efforts will be made to spread a culture where companies voluntarily manage hazardous substances.

The Ministry of Environment will complement safety management gaps that may occur during the biocide approval grace period and expand support so that the industry can prepare for approval and evaluation, promoting the establishment of a preventive biocide management system. A grace period of up to 10 years (until the end of 2029) is granted depending on the hazard level of biocidal substances. Substances such as disinfectants and insecticides with high usage frequency and safety concerns must obtain prior approval by the end of 2022 to be manufactured or imported. Accordingly, internationally approved biocidal substances will have some submission documents exempted to simplify approval, and safety will be secured through early verification (approval). Furthermore, to ensure smooth implementation of approval evaluations, human and material resources will be established, and an 'Approval Support Task Force' will be formed to provide 1:1 customized consultation and full support for preparation and writing of approval documents targeting small and medium enterprises. Household-use biocidal products will have their safety verified according to the degree of public exposure, and products with high risk will be recalled. Antimicrobial treated products, which have gained increased attention after COVID-19, will have strengthened labeling standards to prevent exaggerated advertising.

Efforts will also be made to establish a prevention and response system for consumer damage caused by product use. Online sales intermediaries and purchasing agents will be obligated to verify whether products are illegal, and a verification system linked with the Choroknuri information network will be established to fundamentally block hazardous products from entering the market. After product launch, distribution of hazardous products will be swiftly blocked, the scope of safety investigations will be continuously expanded, and consumer-led market monitoring will be strengthened using market surveillance teams and reward systems for reporting. Legal grounds will be established for rapid cause investigation and damage relief for consumer harm, and specialized institutions will be designated to prevent poisoning and provide emergency medical support caused by product use.

To strengthen management capabilities for chemical substances and products, the establishment of a 'Chemical Substances and Products Management Evaluation Institute (tentative name)' that will be responsible for everything from substance and product identification to post-management will be promoted, and an integrated distribution tracking system will be built by advancing and linking individual systems to manage product information comprehensively.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.