| Philippine Inventory of Chemicals and Chemical Substances Part of the responsibilities of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), through its Environmental Management Bureau (EMB), as regards the implementation of Republic Act No. 6969, also known as the “Toxic Substances and Hazardous and Nuclear Wastes Control Act of 1990”, is to compile and maintain an inventory of all chemicals and chemical substances in use throughout the country. This national inventory is called the Philippine Inventory of Chemicals and Chemical Substances or the PICCS. The first PICCS developed by the DENR-EMB was released in 2000. It contains approximately 24,000 chemicals and chemical substances nominated in 1993 by chemical manufacturers, importers, distributors and users. 1. What is the rationale behind PICCS? The number of chemicals and chemical substances currently in use worldwide runs into hundreds of thousands. Of these, approximately 100,000 are in commercial and industrial use. As a national inventory, PICCS serves to provide the government, the industry, and the general public the names of all chemicals and chemical substances that are currently used in various industrial processes throughout the country. It also serves as a guide for manufacturers, importers, distributors, and users of chemicals in the conduct of their business on the following points: a. Manufacturers, importers, distributors, and users of chemicals or chemical substances which are already included in the PICCS need no longer secure clearance from the DENR, provided that their chemicals or chemical substances are not listed in the Philippine Priority Chemicals List or PCL, and are not subject to Chemical Control Order or CCO. b. Chemicals and chemical substances not included in the PICCS cannot be manufactured, imported, distributed, or used unless they have undergone the Pre-Manufacture and Pre-Importation Notification (PMPIN) process. 2. What information is included in PICCS? PICCS contains the following information: a.
Chemical Name and its Chemical Abstract Service Number (CAS NO.) b.
CAS Registry Index Names c.
Common name of the chemicals or chemical substances 3. How can the public access PICCS? The PICCS is placed in a specially designed computer database to facilitate compiling, storing, organizing and managing the data. It is available in CD format at Php 350 per copy at the DENR-EMB central office. 4. Is there a need to update PICCS? Yes. As a database, it needs regular updating to ensure its relevance to the requirements of the government and the industry. Based on DAO 29, s-1992, the PICCS shall be updated every five years. The first PICCS the DENR-EMB has developed in compliance with RA No. 6969 was published in 2000. Hence, the next updating is due by 2004, and every five years thereafter. This requirement of PICCS updating is also intended to achieve the following: a.
to get updated information on the quantity of chemicals being manufactured
or imported; 5. When and how is the PICCS updating process done? All manufacturers, importers, users, and distributors of chemical substances are required under the law to update the PICCS every five years, starting from 2000. In every updating cycle, they are given 120 days to comply by accomplishing the PICCS Updating Form and to submit this to EMB central and regional offices. In order to facilitate updating and monitoring, all premises subject to updating must maintain an Annual Chemical Inventory that should also be made available to DENR-EMB inspectors, if requested. Likewise, the premise should also retain a record of the following for at least five years: a.
Copy of nomination form submitted to DENR-EMB; 6. Are there exemptions to PICCS and the PICCS updating rules? Yes. The following substances are exempt for inclusion in the PICCS: a.
non-chemical substances For further inquiries, please contact: The Chemicals
Management Section www.emb.gov.ph
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