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Korea: List of low-risk biocidal active substances amended

The National Institute of Environmental Research (NIER) in Korea has published an amendment to the list of ‘low-risk’ biocidal active substances.

Recently, the National Institute of Environmental Research (NIER) in Korea has published an amendment to the list of ‘low-risk’ biocidal active substances: Glycerol, sodium hydrogencarbonate, calcium carbonate and sodium chloride were added to the list.

 

 

Substances on this list (published as an annex to ‘NIER notice no. 2021-64’) do not require an active substance approval under the “Act on the Safe Management of Household Chemical Products and Biocides”, also know as “K-BPR”. The list closely resembles Annex I of the EU Biocidal Products Regulation (Regulation (EU) No 528/2012, the EU BPR). Similar to the EU BPR, a “simplified authorization” for biocidal products containing such low-risk active substances also exists. Until recently, there had been no difference between the substances on the K-BPR low-risk active substance list and Annex I, with the exception of a number of substances having been added to the EU list since late 2019.

This update marks the first time Korea has taken its own decisions on addition of substances to the low-risk list, and may be a sign that the number of differences between the EU BPR and the K-BPR may continue to grow. We thus recommend that companies frequently check the official online submissions portal for K-BPR "CHEMP" for updates, as well as the official list of upcoming NIER notices (please note: both links lead you to pages in Korean language). A comparison of the current EU Annex I and the K-BPR low-risk active substance list (including the new draft amendment substances) is provided below.

Do you have any questions regarding these changes? Or do you have any queries on the K-BPR? No problem, just contact our experienced team by e-mail.

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Table: EU Annex I vs. the K-BPR low-risk active substance list 

EU Annex I K-BPR low-risk active substances

Lactic acid

Sodium acetate

Sodium benzoate

(+)-Tartaric acid

Acetic acid

Propionic acid

Ascorbic acid

Linseed oil

Lavender oil

Peppermint oil

Oct-1-en-3-ol

Webbing clothes moths pheromone

Carbon dioxide

Nitrogen

(9Z,12E)-tetradeca-9,12-dien-1-yl acetate

Baculovirus

Bentonite

Cintronellal

Iron sulphate

 

Vinegar

Glycerol

Yeast

Sodium hydrogen carbonate

Powdered egg

Calcium carbonate

Honey

Sodium chloride

D-Fructose

 

Cheese

 

Concentrated apple juice

 

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