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- Administrative Guidance on Manufacture, Import, etc. of Organic Pigments that can Unintentionally Contain Polychlorinated Biphenyls (Sixth Report)
Administrative Guidance on Manufacture, Import, etc. of Organic Pigments that can Unintentionally Contain Polychlorinated Biphenyls (Sixth Report)
Following the press release on February 10, 2012, announcing that some organic pigments contain an unintentionally generated trace amount of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), two companies who manufactured the pigments newly reported to the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) that some organic pigments, which were sold as their products, might contain PCBs in excess of the international standard (50 ppm), and METI hereby announces the pigments.
METI instructed the companies to stop the manufacture, import and shipment of the pigments and to collect them from the inventory of companies to which they shipped the products.
If any further pigment containing PCBs in excess of 50 ppm is found in the future, METI will continue to provide the same administrative guidance and announce such products from time to time.
1. Background
Since it was found that some organic pigments contained unintentionally generated PCBs in February 2012, METI has been conducting the following measures:
- METI requested the companies to measure the density of PCBs in all organic pigments (February 2012).
- Concerning the pigments containing a density of PCBs in excess of the international standard of 50 ppm, METI requested the companies to stop the manufacture, import and shipment of the pigments and to collect them from the inventory of companies to which they shipped the products (7 requests have been made so far).
- As it was discovered that the density of PCBs significantly varies between analysis methods in September 2012, METI requested the companies to reanalyze the organic pigments for which the initial analysis method might not be proper, after showing desirable analysis methods. (November 2012).
The two companies who manufactured the organic pigments reported that they reanalyzed the pigments and found that the following organic pigments contain a density of PCBs in excess of the international standard (50 ppm).
METI instructed the companies to stop the manufacture, import and shipment of the pigments and to collect the unused pigments from companies to which they shipped the products.
Reference: Press release on February 10, 2012
Organic Pigments That Can Unintentionally Contain Polychlorinated Biphenyl
http://www.meti.go.jp/english/press/2012/0210_04.html
2. Pigments for which byproduct PCB generation in excess of 50 ppm was confirmed
| Company name | Name of the pigments announced in the official gazette, manufactured or imported quantity, etc. | Major applications |
|---|---|---|
| Mikuni Color Ltd. | Pigment Orange-13 (manufactured by the company) Product name: Orange BO-01 Reported measurement: 1,000 ppm Manufactured quantity of the product: 0.07t (FY2012) |
Pens or pencils |
| Sansui Shikiso Kogyo, Kabushiki Gaisha (pigments were sold by DIC Corporation as its own brand.) | Pigment Yellow-55 (manufactured by the company) Product name: SUIMEI YELLOW DRO-10, SYMULER Fast Yellow 4539 Reported measurement: 1,500 ppm Manufactured quantity of the product: 1.1t (2012) |
Painting materials |
| Sansui Shikiso Kogyo, Kabushiki Gaisha | Pigment Yellow-14 (manufactured by the company) Product name: SUIMEI YELLOW GGNB Reported measurement: 810 ppm Manufactured quantity of the product: 0.05t (2010) * The company has not manufactured the pigment since 2011. |
Print ink |
| Sansui Shikiso Kogyo, Kabushiki Gaisha | Pigment Yellow-17 (manufactured by the company) Product name: SUIMEI YELLOW 7G Reported measurement: 700 ppm Manufactured quantity of the product: 0.08t (2012) |
Colorants for interior fabrics |
| Sansui Shikiso Kogyo, Kabushiki Gaisha | Pigment Yellow-83 (manufactured by the company) Product name: SUIMEI YELLOW ERT SUIMEI YELLOW 5RT Reported measurement: 2,000 ppm Manufactured quantity of the product: 0.2t (2012) |
Print ink, colorants for building materials and resins |
| Sansui Shikiso Kogyo, Kabushiki Gaisha | Pigment Orange-34 (manufactured by the company) Product name: SUIMEI PYRAZOLONE ORANGE GR-N Reported measurement: 190 ppm Manufactured quantity of the product: 0.01t (2012) |
Painting materials |
Note: Concerning the results of the reanalysis of the reported organic pigments as of March 22, 2013, the density of PBCs in all of the pigments other than those listed above were found to be less than 50 ppm.
Appendix 1: Organic pigments found to contain PCBs in excess of 50ppm as by-products (as of March 22, 2013)
http://www.meti.go.jp/press/2012/03/20130322002/20130322002-2.pdf(PDF:83KB) 
(in Japanese)
Release Date
March 22, 2013
Division in Charge
Chemical Safety Office, Manufacturing Industries Bureau