News Brief
On April 16, 2026, China's Ministry of Emergency Management (MEM), together with nine other ministries, issued the Announcement No. 3 of 2026 to officially include five chemicals, including 3‑Chloropropyne, into the Catalog of Hazardous Chemicals (2015 Edition).
This move marks the completion of the public consultation process launched on January 21, 2026, and further tightens the supervision of hazardous chemicals throughout their entire lifecycle.
Enterprises that produce, operate, store, transport or use these substances in China must now manage them as “hazardous chemicals” in accordance with the Regulations on the Safety Management of Hazardous Chemicals and related supporting rules.
Background: From Proposal to Official Inclusion
On January 21, 2026, the Department of Hazardous Chemicals Safety Supervision and Management II of MEM released a notice to publicly solicit opinions on the “Announcement on the Inclusion of 5 Chemicals Including 3‑Chloropropyne into the Catalog of Hazardous Chemicals (Draft for Comments)”.
The draft proposed to add five fine chemicals with relatively high physical and health hazards, which are widely used as pharmaceutical intermediates and organic synthesis reagents, to the Catalog.
After the consultation period ended on February 21, 2026, the competent authorities studied and absorbed public comments and inter‑ministerial feedback. On April 16, 2026, MEM and other ministries jointly released the final announcement, confirming that all five proposed chemicals are now officially included in the Catalog.
Five Chemicals Offically Added to the Catalog of Hazardous Chemicals
According to the official announcement, the following five chemicals have been added to the Catalog of Hazardous Chemicals (2015 Edition) :
These substances exhibit flammability, acute toxicity, corrosivity/irritation or other hazardous properties identified under the GHS system and China's hazardous chemical classification rules. Once included in the Catalog, they are subject to mandatory hazardous chemicals management requirements covering production, storage, use, operation and transportation.
Key Regulatory Implications for Enterprises
With the official expansion of the Catalog, companies involved with these five substances in China will face stricter compliance obligations, including but not limited to:
Licensing and permitting: Enterprises engaging in the production, storage or operation of these substances may need to obtain corresponding hazardous chemicals safety production licenses, operation licenses and other administrative permits.
Hazardous chemical registration and reporting: Relevant substances must be registered or filed in accordance with national requirements, and enterprises must ensure that safety data sheets (SDS) and labels meet Chinese regulatory standards.
Strengthened safety risk management: Companies should re‑evaluate process safety, equipment, storage conditions, emergency response capabilities and occupational health protection measures for operations involving these substances.
Transport and logistics control: The transport of these chemicals will be managed as hazardous chemicals transport, requiring compliance with relevant packaging, labeling, vehicle, route and documentation rules.
In addition, MEM will correspondingly supplement and improve the Hazardous Chemicals Classification Information Table, which will provide more detailed classification and labeling guidance for these chemicals.
REACH24H Compliance Recommendations
In light of the official inclusion of these five chemicals into the Catalog, REACH24H Consulting Group recommends that relevant enterprises take the following actions as soon as possible:
Conduct a comprehensive inventory screening to identify whether any raw materials, intermediates, products or by‑products involve the five newly listed chemicals.
Carry out a gap analysis against China's hazardous chemicals regulatory framework, including licensing, registration/filing, SDS and label compliance, on‑site safety management, emergency plans and hazardous chemical transport requirements.
Update internal compliance systems and operating procedures, provide targeted training to employees and strengthen supply chain communication with customers and logistics partners.
Closely track any further supporting documents or local implementation rules issued by MEM and other authorities related to these chemicals.
REACH24H can provide tailored regulatory analysis, substance screening, licensing support, SDS/label preparation and training services to help enterprises smoothly transition to the new regulatory requirements and effectively control compliance risks.
If you have any questions, please contact us at customer@reach24h.com.
