People’s Republic of China

 

In 2008, the Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP) issued the first batch of “High Pollution, High Environmental Risk Product Catalogue” which includes high temperature melting membrane fluorine resin coating used on non-stick cookware, kitchenware, and food processing machinery, based on the potential residual PFOA in the products.

In 2011, the National Development and Reform Commission issued “Industrial Recon-structuring Guide Directory” restricting the production of PFOS and PFOA and encouraging the research and development on alternatives of PFOS and PFOA. In 2014, MEP issued announcement No.[2014]21, banning “production, transportation, application, imports and exports of PFOS, its salts, and perfluorooctane sulfonyl fluoride (PFOSF), except for specific exemptions and acceptable use.”

RISK REDUCTION APPROACHES FOR PFASs
Action	Path taken	BEPs Implemented	Category of PFASss addressed	Articles covered?	Life cycle stage(s) addressed	Method of approach	Public- private partnership encouraged?	Level of constraint
Monitoring of PFASs production and emissions	Continuous monitoring	Not relevant	PFOS and PFOA	No	N/A	Monitoring	No	None
Ban of production, transportation, application, imports and exports of PFOS, its salts and PFOSF, except for specific exemptions and acceptable use Link to Announcement (in Chinese)	Ban	Minimisation of PFASs used	PFOS, its salts and PFOSF	-	Manufacture, use, sale, and import	Regulatory	-	Ban
Restriction of the production of PFOS and PFOA and support of R&D for alternatives to these substances Link to Guide (in Chinese)	Restriction included as part of the National Development and Reform Commission, which issues an Industrial Reconstructing Guide Directory	Restriction of use	PFOS and PFOA	-	-	-	No	-
Substances listed under the High Pollution, High Environmental risk Product Catalogue Link to the list (in Chinese)	Political target to establish financial and environmental protection priorities	Minimisation of the PFASs used	High temperature melting membrane fluorine resin coating/PFOA	Yes	-	Policy	No	-

In 2014, MEP issued the announcement No.[2014]33, listing 8 PFOS chemicals in the “Key Hazardous Chemicals Catalogue of Environmental Management”. Additionally, the government of Japan has been conducting environmental monitoring of PFOS since 2009.

China started a research and development project on “PFOS Alternatives for Plating Mist Suppressing Agent and Fabric Finishing Agent” as part of China’s “Eleventh Five Year Plan”. A new patent for fog inhibitor was registered through this project but is not commercialised. Perfluorinated sulfonic acid butyl acrylate based finishing agent, as alternative to PFOS, was found with good performance as waterproof agent but did not have good performance as an oil repellent.

Since 2013, China monitors PFC production and/or emissions, focusing on PFOS and sulphonamide perfluorooctane (FOSA) in water, sediment and fishes in industry parks in Hubei and Zhejiang Provinces. It also focuses on PFOS and PFOA in water, sediment and fish, and in an electronic waste dismantling plant in Guangdong Province. The Second Effectiveness Evaluation of the Stockholm Convention in China has started to monitor PFOA and PFOS environmental background levels in air and water of mainland China, Hong Kong (China) and Macau (China).