Request for more information for Risk Management Evaluation (Annex F of the Stockholm Convention)
Updated 4 December 2024
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/request-for-information-on-substances-proposed-as-persistent-organic-pollutants-pops-2024/request-for-more-information-for-risk-management-evaluation-annex-f-of-the-stockholm-convention
The UK is a party to the UN Stockholm Convention on persistent organic pollutants (POPs), which are substances that persist in the environment, accumulate in living organisms and pose a risk to our health and the environment. They can be transported by air, water or migratory species across international borders, reaching regions where they have never been produced or used.
Substances listed in the convention are generally prohibited from production, marketing or use unless specific exemptions apply or acceptable purposes for continued use have been agreed.
There is a process for parties to propose a substance for listing if they have gathered evidence that suggests it may be a POP. The POPs Review Committee (POPRC), the technical scientific committee of the Stockholm Convention, then considers and further develops the evidence that the substance demonstrates POP characteristics.
If there is evidence that a substance demonstrates POP characteristics, the POPRC then considers the socio and economic impacts of a ban or restriction of this substance and makes recommendations to the Stockholm Convention Conference of Parties, which is held every 2 years.
Invitation to provide further information relating to the Risk Management Evaluation, as specified in Annex F (Information in Socioeconomic Considerations) of the Stockholm Convention
This invitation serves as a further opportunity to present any additional information relating to the production, use, social and economic impacts of any control measures under consideration for any chlorinated paraffins with carbon chain lengths in the range C14-17.
This follows previous opportunities to submit information on these substances with specific chlorination levels (45% and above), and explicitly expands the invitation to include any chlorinated paraffins, regardless of chlorination level.
A Risk Management Evaluation for chlorinated paraffins with carbon chain lengths in the range C14-17 and with chlorination levels at or exceeding 45% chlorine by weight was agreed in October 2023 by POPRC. An addendum to this RME was agreed in September 2024 by POPRC, where further decisions were clarified around the recommendations being made to the Conference of the Parties to be held in April/May 2025. These included decisions on the chemical identification, concentration limit and recommended specific exemptions.
Chlorinated paraffins with carbon chain lengths in the range C14-17
Chlorinated paraffins (CPs) are manufactured substances consisting of predominantly linear chloroalkanes, with different degrees of chlorination and chain length distributions depending on application and feedstock.
The original nomination for this substance was for any chlorinated paraffins with carbon chain lengths in the range C14–17 and chlorination levels at or exceeding 45% chlorine by weight. These are the principal constituents of substances called ‘medium-chain chlorinated paraffins’ (MCCPs) in Europe, North America and Australia, and major constituents of several products manufactured in Asia (for example, CP-52).
However, we would also like to invite information on any chlorinated paraffins with carbon chain lengths in the range C14-17, regardless of chlorination level.