The Priority Chemicals List (PCL) is a list of existing and new chemicals that DENR-EMB has determined to a potentially pose unreasonable risk to public health, workplace, and the environment.

ATTENTION: Memorandum for Clarification on the Scope of PCL has been issued: EMB MC 2020-010: Clarification to DENR Administrative Order 2007-23 on the Scope of Requirements under the Priority Chemicals List (PCL) Compliance Certificate.

PCL_online_link

Relevant Policies

  • DAO 2005-27: Revised Priority Chemical List
  • DAO 2007-23: Prescribing Additional Requirements for the Issuance of the Priority Chemical List (PCL) Compliance Certificate
  • EMB MC 2014-003: Supplemental Guidelines for the DENR AO 2007-23 (Prescribing Additional Requirements for the Issuance of the Priority Chemical List (PCL) Compliance Certificate
  • EMB MC 2016-003: Implementation of Online Processing of Priority Chemical List (PCL) and Premanufacture Preimportation Notification (PMPIN) Under the Title II of DENR AO 29, Series of 1992, of RA 6969
  • EMB MC 2017-007: Clarification on the Coverage of Laboratory Facilities under DAO 2007-23 (PCL)
  • EMB MC 2020-010: Clarification to DENR Administrative Order 2007-23 on the Scope of Requirements under the Priority Chemicals List (PCL) Compliance Certificate.

Assessment of PCL Chemicals

Among the chemicals in PCL, DENR-EMB determines which chemicals should be regulated. In addition, DENR-EMB imposes special reporting requirements that apply only to chemicals included in PCL. This is an essential aspect of the PCL process since these reports will enable DENR-EMB to obtain the necessary information concerning the priority chemicals and their uses.

Assessment of the potential hazards and risks posed by each chemical in PCL is not an easy process. It not only requires knowledge of the toxicity of a substance, but also other characteristics of a substance that may influence the severity and duration of adverse impacts. These include a chemical’s persistence and tendency to bioaccumulate through the food chain. The following primary criteria has been established by DENR-EMB for PCL based on the selection criteria and used in other industrial countries such as European Union, Australia, Japan, Canada, Korea and the United States. In addition, qualitative and quantitative information that is unique to the Philippines such as chemical’s use and management, production quantity, percentage of release, occupational exposure, disposal methods, and technical and economic feasibility of its regulation are considered:

Persistence refers to the property of a substance whose half-life in water, sediment, soil, or air exceeds duration of fifty (50) days. Sludge may be used as a surrogate for sediment. Metals are considered to be persistent in all media.

Toxicity refers to the quality of a substance which meets any of the following criteria:

  • Acute lethality
  • Chronic or sub-lethal toxicity
  • Teratogenicity
  • Carcinogenicity

Bioaccumulation potential is the measure of a substance’s ability to bioaccumulate in the food chain.

Priority Chemical List (PCL)
CAS REGISTRY NUMBER CHEMICAL NAME
108-90-7 1,4-CHLOROBENZENE / Benzene,chloro-
106-93-4 1,2-DIBROMOETHANE / Ethane,1,2-dibromo
95-50-1 O-DICHLOROBENZENE / Benzene,1,2-dichloro
106-46-7 1,4-DICHLOROBENZENE / Benzene,1,4-dichlro-
107-06-2 1,2-DICHLOROETHANE / Ethane, l,2-dichloro-
122-66-7 1,2 DIPHENYLHYDRAZINE / Hydrazobenzene
108-46-3 3-HYDROXYPHENOL / 1,3-Benzenediol
7647-18-9 ANTIMONY PENTACHLORIDE / Antimony chloride
  ARSENIC COMPOUNDS
1332-21-4 ASBESTOS*
71-43-2 BENZENE
  BERYLLIUM COMPOUNDS
  CADMIUM COMPOUNDS
56-23-5 CARBON TETRACHLORIDE**
  CHLORINATED ETHERS
  CHLOROFLUORO CARBONS**
67-66-3 CHLOROFORM / Trichloromethane
76-06-2 CHLOROPICRIN / Methane, trichloronitro
  CHROMIUM COMPOUNDS
  CYANIDE COMPOUNDS*
64-67-5 DIETHYL SULFATE / Sulfuric acid,diethyl ester
106-93-4 ETHYLENE DIBROMIDE / 1,2 Dibromoethane
75-21-8 ETHYLENE OXIDE / Oxirane
111-30-8 GLUTARALDEHYDE / Pentanedial
50-00-0 FORMALDEHYDE
  HALONS**
118-74-1 HEXACHLOROBENZENE / Benzene, hexachloro
67-72-1 HEXACHLOROETHANE / Ethane, hexachloro
302-01-2 HYDRAZINE
  LEAD COMPOUNDS*
149-30-4 MBT / 2(3H)-Benzothiazolethione
594-42-3 MERCAPTAN,
PERCHLOROMETHYL
  MERCURY COMPOUNDS*
74-87-3 METHYL CHLORIDE / Methane, chloro
75-09-2 METHYLENECHLORIDE / Methylene,dichloro
2385-85-5 MIREX
87-86-5 PENTACHLOROPHENOL
127-18-4 PERCHLROETHYLENE
108-95-2 PHENIC ACID
75-44-5 PHOSGENE / Carbonyl chloride
85-44-9 PHTHALIC ANHYDRIDE / 1,3-Isobenzofurandione
  POLYBROMINATED
BIPHENYLS
  POLYCHLORINATED
BIPHENYLS*
79-01-6 TRICHLOROETHYLENE
  TRIBUTYLTIN
7782-49-2 SELENIUM
75-01-4 VINYL CHLORIDE / Chloroethylene

* subject to the Chemical Control Order (CCO) under their respective DAOs. **Trichloroethane, Chlorofluoro Carbons and Halons belong to the CCO for Ozone Depleting Substances (ODs).