The Safer Chemical Ingredients List (SCIL), a cornerstone of EPA’s Safer Choice Program, identifies and promotes ingredients that are safer for human health and the environment. All listed chemicals have passed EPA’s stringent review and serve as authoritative sourcing guidance for manufacturers of cleaning products, personal-care items, industrial formulations and other consumer goods.
SCIL conveys each ingredient’s hazard profile through an intuitive four-tier icon system:
*Green circle – verified low hazard on the basis of robust experimental and modeled data.
*Green half-circle – expected low hazard; additional data would further strengthen confidence.
*Yellow triangle – functionally necessary but has some hazard-profile gaps. These best-in-class ingredients (e.g., certain preservatives or solvents) are the safest currently available for their specific use, yet their function remains a priority for safer-chemistry innovation.
*Grey square – under review for potential removal. Manufacturers have 12 months to submit justification; otherwise the chemical is delisted.
By flagging yellow-triangle and grey-square substances, the system not only helps formulators quickly select safer inputs and avoid high-concern chemicals, but also steers the supply chain toward continuous innovation and higher safety standards.

U.S. Safer Chemical Ingredients List is available

On January 9, 2026, the Australian Government issued a notice under section 94 of the Industrial Chemicals Act 2019, amending the inventory listing terms for two chemicals following the revocation of the approval to use the correct industrial chemical names as Confidential Business Information (CBI).

2 substances were added to the Australian Inventory of Industrial Chemicals (AIIC)-Jan 13,2026

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) established the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) database under Section 313 of the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA). The database is intended to provide the public with information on toxic chemical releases from industrial facilities, thereby enhancing societal awareness of and oversight over environmental pollution. The current TRI toxic chemical list contains 799 individually listed chemicals and 33 chemical categories.
Recent years have seen an expansion in PFAS monitoring under the TRI:
-Reporting year 2022: 4 PFAS added
-Reporting year 2023: 9 PFAS added
-Reporting year 2024: 7 PFAS added
-Reporting year 2025: 9 PFAS added

U.S. Toxics Release Inventory is available

On 29 September 2021, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, together with the National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, issued Announcement No. 44 of 2021, revising the China List of Ozone Depleting Substances Subject to Control. The update fulfills obligations under the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer, the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer and its amendments, and is issued under the Regulation on the Administration of Ozone Depleting Substances. The following nine classes of chemicals are now subject to strict control:
1.Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs);
2.Halons;
3.Carbon tetrachloride (CTC);
4.Methyl chloroform;
5.Hydrobromofluorocarbons;
6.Bromochloromethane;
7.Methyl bromide;
8.Hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs);
9.Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) — newly added control category.
To implement the phase-down commitments, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment has recently published two prohibitions:
A ban on the production of polyurethane foams using 1,1-dichloro-1-fluoroethane (HCFC-141b) as a blowing agent;
A ban on the production of household refrigerators and freezers using hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) as refrigerants.
With the progressive elimination of HCFC-141b and HFCs in relevant products, China has entered a new phase of ozone-layer protection and greenhouse-gas mitigation.

China List of Ozone Depleting Substances Subject to Control is available

On December 25, 2025, to implement the Action Plan for the Management of New Pollutants, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment of China, together with the National Disease Control and Prevention Administration, officially released the Priority Controlled Substances List (Third Batch) (Announcement No. 43 of 2025). This batch includes 23 types of chemicals. Their production and use primarily involve industries such as petrochemicals, plastics, rubber, pharmaceuticals, textiles, dyes, coatings, pesticides, leather, and electroplating.

The Priority Controlled Substances List focuses on chemicals that pose significant environmental and health hazards, may persist in the environment long-term, and present unreasonable risks to ecosystems or human health. Selection is primarily based on factors including environmental behavior characteristics (persistence, bioaccumulation), environmental and health hazard attributes (aquatic toxicity, carcinogenicity, mutagenicity, reproductive toxicity, endocrine-disrupting properties, specific target organ toxicity from repeated exposure, etc.), and environmental exposure scenarios (domestic production/usage volume, application distribution, public exposure frequency).

The previous two batches of the list collectively included 40 types of chemicals, covering various human carcinogens, persistent organic pollutants, and heavy metal substances, involving sectors such as chemical manufacturing, light industry, plastics, rubber, and pharmaceuticals.

For substances listed in the Priority Controlled Substances List (Third Batch), environmental risk control measures should be implemented targeting key stages where environmental and health risks arise, considering economic and technical feasibility, to minimize the impact of their production and use on human health and the environment.

The third batch of substances were added to the China Inventory of Priority Controlled Substances

On December 26, 2025, the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare announced that, in accordance with the provisions of the Industrial Safety and Health Act (ISHA), 131 chemical substances have been added to the existing list of chemical substances. These newly added chemical substances are primarily those commonly used in the workplace and may affect the health of workers.
The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare pointed out that for the newly added chemical substances, companies no longer need to submit a declaration to the Ministry when producing or importing these substances, which helps to simplify the compliance process for businesses. Nevertheless, companies are still required to comply with other safety regulations, including providing Safety Data Sheets (SDS), implementing necessary health and safety measures, and conducting occupational health monitoring.
Furthermore, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare emphasized that for chemical substances not listed on the existing ISHA list, companies still need to conduct assessments and declarations before production or importation, including submitting detailed information on the chemical substances, safety data, potential risks, and intended use, for a more stringent risk assessment and regulation. This ensures that the use of these chemical substances in the workplace does not pose a threat to the health of employees.

167 substances were added to the Japan ISHA-Newly Announced Chemical Substances

On December 17, 2025, Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare issued an update notice, adding 32 confirmed CAS numbers to the list of newly announced chemical substances published after April 1, 2011.

34 confirmed links of CAS RNs were added to the Japan CSCL-Newly Announced Chemical Substances (notified by April 1,2011)

The Existing and New Chemical Substances Inventory (ENCS) of Japan has been updated to the latest version, incorporating updates from the official announcements made on December 17, 2025.

Substances were added to the Japan Existing and New Chemical Substances Inventory (ENCS)-(as of Dec 17,2025)

Chemradar has updated the Japan ISHA Substances Subject to Labeling and Document (SDS) Delivery System to the latest version, adding a total of 779 chemical substances that will be subject to labeling and SDS submission obligations under the Occupational Safety and Health Act effective April 1, 2026.

Update the Japan ISHA Substances Subject to Labeling and Document (SDS) Delivery System to the Latest Version

On December 15, 2025, the Australian government issued a notice updating the chemical names of 89 substances to their Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) names in accordance with Section 85 of the Industrial Chemicals Act 2019. These corrections do not change the identity of the chemical substances themselves.

Update History