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Panama - Final Regulatory Action
Polybrominated Biphenyls (PBBs) CAS number:
13654-09-6, 27858-07-7, 36355-01-8
Date circular:
12/12/2004

Chemical name: 1,1'-Biphenyl, 2,2',3,3',4,4',5,5',6,6'-decabromo-

Final regulatory action has been taken for the category: Industrial

Final regulatory action: The chemical is Severely Restricted

Use or uses prohibited by the final regulatory action:

All uses

Use or uses that remain allowed:

The uses not yet controlled

The final regulatory action was based on a risk or hazard evaluation: Yes

Summary of the final regulatory action:

Law No. 12 of 14 June 2000, by which was approved the Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade, adopted in Rotterdam, Netherlands, on 10 September 1998. Law No. 1 of 10 January 2001, on medicines and other products for human health. Previous licensing no automatic and conditions for import. Executive decree #305 of 9 September 2002, ' That establishes the Automatic Licensing, in order to regulate the import of some potentially dangerous chemicals as chemicals or dangerous controlled materials and dictate other dispositions.'

The reasons for the final regulatory action were relevant to: Human health and environment

Summary of known hazards and risks to human health:

It is a potentially dangerous substance and factor of risk that was not controlled although it was present in many articles whose chemical composition was not registered in previous years and the custom tariff was not known. When reducing the exhibition to the risk factor the effects decrease on the direct exposed population (occupational) and indirectly (accidental, environmental or acquired) of the obsolete PBB's and this is corroborated by the studies of special toxicity on mammals systematized by the IRPTC that describes it like carcinogenic, mutable, neurotoxic, interacting agent, immunotoxic and teratogenic and to cause effects on organisms in the environment and to constitute in toxic for the soil. At the II IFCS Forum it was said that others studies would not be necessary if the information was approved and verified by experts. Nevertheless, the communication of risk is possible to be affected.

Expected effect of the final regulatory action in relation to human health:

Reduce the factor of risk beyond 2002.

Summary of known hazards and risks to the environment:

The substance is bioaccumulative and persisent.

Date of entry into force of the final regulatory action: 01/01/2002