(EC) Regulation No 2021/277

Regulation (EC) 2021/277, published by the European Parliament and of the Council , includes amendments to Annex I of Regulation (EU) 2019/1021 on persistent organic pollutants of pentachlorophenols and their salts and esters.

In the amendment, the following text was added in the fourth column (specific exemption for intermediate use or other specifications) of the entry pentachlorophenol and its salts and esters in Annex I Part A of the Regulation (EU) 2019/1021: “For the purposes of this entry, Article 4( Point (b) of 1) shall apply to concentrations of pentachlorophenol and its salts and esters, when present in substances, mixtures or articles, less than or equal to 5 mg/kg (0,0005 wt%).

Regulation (EU) 2019/1021 is a legal regulation on persistent organic pollutants. The purpose of this regulation is to prohibit the production, placing on the market and use of these substances, especially taking into account the precautionary principle, and to protect human health and the environment from persistent organic pollutants by removing or restricting them from use as soon as possible.

Persistent organic pollutants are essentially chemicals that persist indefinitely, and these pollutants are organic compounds resistant to environmental degradation through chemical, biological, and photolytic processes. They are also toxic chemicals that negatively affect human health and the environment worldwide. These are a group of 12 highly persistent and toxic chemical compounds: aldrin, chlordane, DDT, dieldrin, endrin, heptachlor, hexachlorobenzene, mirex, polychlorinated biphenyls, polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins, polychlorinated dibenzofurans, and toxaphene. Most pesticides in this group are no longer used for agricultural purposes, but a few continue to be used in developing countries.

Persistent organic pollutants circulate globally, and chemicals released in parts of the world can accumulate over great distances from their original source through a repeated process of evaporation and deposition. This makes it very difficult to trace the original source of the chemical. These compounds are lipophilic, meaning they accumulate in the adipose tissues of living animals and humans. In adipose tissue, concentrations can grow up to 70 times higher than background levels.

Our organization, among the numerous test, measurement, analysis and evaluation studies it provides for businesses in various sectors, also provides necessary testing services within the scope of regulation (EC) 2021/277 with its trained and expert staff and advanced technological equipment.