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EU: European Union adopted the limit value for Hexachlorobenzene under POPs regulation

NOVEMBER 2022 - ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONICS, HARDLINES, SOFTLINES, TOYS AND CHILDREN'S PRODUCTS

The European Commission (EC) has published Regulation (EU) 2022/2291¹ to include an Unintentional Trace Contaminant (UTC) limit value to hexachlorobenzene (HCB) under POPs Regulation Annex I. This update will apply from 13 December 2022.  
 
HCB is a persistent organic pollutant that was used as pesticide. It is also a byproduct of the manufacture of certain industrial chemicals and exists as an impurity in chlorinated solvents, inks, coatings, paints, wood, textiles and plastic. Currently, HCB is prohibited in substances, mixtures and articles under EU POPs Regulation. To add better clarity to the legal situation and facilitate enforcement, the EC decided to include an UTC limit of 10 mg/kg to HCB. Table A shows the summary of the updates.   

[1] Regulation (EU) 2022/2291