The EPA has preannounced an amendment to Prohibited Ingredients for Environmental Agents and Testing Methods, adding Chlorpyrifos-methyl as a prohibited ingredient regarding the manufacture, processing, import, export, sale, or use of environmental agents; adding Chlorpyrifos as a prohibited ingredient regarding the manufacture, processing, and import of environmental agents, and; establishing a threshold value of 10 MDL (Method Detection Limit).

This amendment is made in response to the international trend of tightening regulations on Chlorpyrifos and to prevent potential health risks posed by long-term exposure to environmental agents containing Chlorpyrifos and Chlorpyrifos-methyl. In particular, it is to protect sensitive groups (such as infants, children, and pregnant women) in their home and surrounding environments, as well as safeguard the general public’s health and living environment. With the authority granted by Article 7 of the Environmental Agents Control Act, Chlorpyrifos-methyl and Chlorpyrifos have been listed as prohibited ingredients in environmental agents.

The EPA stated that its investigation revealed that currently, no environmental agent in the country had registered Chlorpyrifos-methyl as an ingredient. As such, listing Chlorpyrifos-methyl as a prohibited ingredient has no impact on Taiwan’s industries. In contrast, Chlorpyrifos is an active ingredient found in current environmental agents. To safeguard public health from the use of environmental agents, the manufacture, processing, and import of Chlorpyrifos-containing environmental agents will be prohibited starting from 31 December 2023. Meanwhile, the EPA has requested the manufacturers of environmental agents containing Chlorpyrifos to add a warning on product labels indicating that the product is suitable only for outdoor use.

Excerpt from Major Environmental Policies, March 2022