Five types of hazardous chemicals will be regulated from next year, the Environmental Protection Department announced today.
They are hexabromobiphenyl, hexabromodiphenyl ether and heptabromodiphenyl ether (commercial octabromodiphenyl ether), pentachlorobenzene, tetrabromodiphenyl ether and pentabromodiphenyl ether (commercial pentabromodiphenyl ether), and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), its salts and perfluorooctane sulfonyl fluoride (PFOSF).
The department will include these chemicals in the Hazardous Chemicals Control Ordinance by submitting an amendment to the Legislative Council next week.
It said their inclusion will bring Hong Kong in line with the latest revisions to the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants.
Anyone manufacturing, exporting, importing and using the chemicals without a permit will violate the ordinance, and will be liable to a year's jail and a $50,000 fine.