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- May 2013
- Administrative Guidance on Manufacture, Import, etc. of Organic Pigments that can Unintentionally Contain Polychlorinated Biphenyls (Seventh Report)
Administrative Guidance on Manufacture, Import, etc. of Organic Pigments that can Unintentionally Contain Polychlorinated Biphenyls (Seventh 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 or imported 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).
In response to the reports, 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.
- As it was discovered that the density of PCBs significantly varies according to the analysis method in September 2012, METI requested the companies to reanalyze the organic pigments for which the initial analysis method might not be proper, after clarifying desirable analysis methods (November 2012). As a result of the reanalysis, METI requested the companies to follow the instructions in 2 above when they discovered that the pigments contain a density of PCBs in excess of 50 ppm.
The two companies who manufactured or imported 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.
2. Pigments for which byproduct PCB generation in excess of 50 ppm was confirmed in the reanalysis Note 1
| Company name | Name of the pigments announced in the official gazette, manufactured or imported quantity, etc. | Major applications |
|---|---|---|
| Sansui Shikiso Kogyo Kabushiki Gaisha | Pigment Yellow-17 (manufactured by the company) Note 2 Product name: SUIMEI YELLOW 7GKT Reported measurement: 1,000 ppm Manufactured quantity of the product: 0.65t (2012) |
Colorants for resins |
| Sansui Shikiso Kogyo Kabushiki Gaisha | Pigment Yellow-81 (manufactured by the company) Product name: SUIMEI YELLOW F10G Reported measurement: 79 ppm Manufactured quantity of the product: 0.03t (2012) |
Colorants for resins |
| Muraron Co., Ltd. | Pigment Yellow-12 (imported by the company) Product name: Disazo Yellow G 178-4 Reported measurement: 110 ppm Imported quantity of the product: 0.5t (2012) |
Colorants for resins, building materials |
| Muraron Co., Ltd. | Pigment Yellow-83 (imported by the company) Product name: Permanent Yellow HR-1183-2 Reported measurement: 59 ppm Imported quantity of the product: 0.4t (2012) |
Colorants for resins, building materials |
Note 1: Concerning the results of the reanalysis of the reported organic pigments as of May 10, 2013, the density of PBCs in all of the pigments other than those listed above were found to be less than 50 ppm.
Note 2: Concerning Pigment Yellow-17, METI already issued administrative guidance to Sansui Shikiso Kogyo Kabushiki Gaisha in March 2013. Pigment Yellow-17 in the list above is the pigment that the company newly discovered after its additional analysis following the administrative guidance in March.
Release Date
May 10, 2013
Division in Charge
Chemical Safety Office, Manufacturing Industries Bureau