Covid-19 may hit firms' ability to complete priority chemicals registration in Taiwan

Chemical manufacturing and import associations in Taiwan have raised concerns over their members' ability to complete registration for the first batch of priority existing chemicals (Pecs) due to the impact of the coronavirus Covid-19.  In 2019, Taiwan's EPA published a list of 106 Pecs subject to mandatory registration under the Toxic and Chemical Substances of Concern Control Act (TCSCCA). The requirement for companies to carry out strict ‘standard registration’ of these Pecs began on 1 January 2020.
Responding to the concerns, EPA official Shu-lin Chen told Chemical Watch: "As a result, we are encouraging companies to use our free helpdesk and also assessing the possibility of delaying the registration schedule for the first batch of Pecs in response to the pandemic."  "Companies still have some time to complete their registration, and prolonging the registration period would require a legal amendment to the regulation," Ms Chen, the EPA’s Toxic and Chemical Substance Bureau (TCSB) deputy director general, explained.