Japan Law for PRTR and Promotion of Chemical Management
Little Pro on 2015-12-31
The law concerning reporting, etc. of the release to the environment of specific chemical substances and promoting improvement in their management ("Law for PRTR and Promotion of Chemical Management" or "PRTR Law") was enacted in 1999. The purpose of this law is to promote businesses' voluntary improvements in the management of specified chemical substances and to prevent any environmental protection impediments. This law requires businesses to report the release and transfer of chemical substances of concern(PRTR reporting) under the PRTR System and to provide information on them under the SDS System.
Under PRTR law, Class I Designated Chemical Substances are subject to both the PRTR system and the SDS system while Class II Designated Chemical Substances are subject to SDS system only. Only businesses in the published types of industries are obliged to confirm and notify the release amounts of chemical substances in the environment.
Specified Substances under PRTR Law
Specified chemical substances are those which are deemed harmful to humans and ecosystems, and those which disperse widely in the natural environment and may be exposed. There are three types of specified substances under PRTR law and they are listed in the following table.
| Category | # of Substances and Requirement |
|---|---|
| Class I Designated Chemical Substances |
|
| Specified Class I Designated Chemical Substances |
|
| Class II Designated Chemical Substances |
|
Download the list of Class I Designated Substances.
Exemptions under PRTR System
Products with low contents of specified chemical substances (<0.1% for Specific Class I designated substances and <1% for other substances), solid substances, products for general consumer purposes and sealed products are exempt from PRTR due to their low emission levels.
Targeted Business Operators of PRTR Reporting
Targeted business operators are those who produce or use chemical substances specified in the "Class I Designated Chemical Substances" or products that contain these substances, and are deemed to release these substances into the natural environment during their business operations.
More specifically, targeted business operators are those included in the following categories:
- Business operators whose operations fall under the 24 types of business operations specified in the government ordinance; or
- Business operators who employ over 21 employees during their regular business operations; or
- Business operators who annually handle one tonne or more of any chemical substance specified in the "Class I Designated Chemical Substances" (or 0.5 tonne or more of the Specific Class I Designated Chemical Substances).
Information Required for PRTR Notification
PRTR notification requires two parts of information: amount of release and amount of transfer:
- Amount of release: Release into atmosphere, release into public bodies of water, release into soil within the place, and reclamation within the place of business concernedl
- Amount of transfer: Transfer to sewage and transfer to outside of place of business concerned as a waste;
Information Disclosure
PRTR data provided by individual business facilities are disclosed by public announcement by the Government as well as being disclosed on request. The data from individual business facilities as well as national and prefectural aggregate data are disclosed on the PRTR website maintained by National Institute of Technology and Evaluation (NITE).
PRTR Law and GHS
PRTR law is one of the main laws for implementing GHS in Japan. PRTR requires that businesses provide SDSs and labels for both Class I designated substances and Class II designated substances.
Reference & Resources
Click here to access all references and resources for Japan including the English translation of regulations, regulatory lists and useful links to the websites of competent authorities.
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