Introduction of Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act (HSNO)

HSNO Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act (HSNO), proposed on July 1st, 1996 by EPA New Zealand, has been revised in 2007. According to the regulation, all hazardous chemicals, including substance with explosibility, flammability, oxidability, corrosivity, health-toxicology and eco-toxicology, shall obtain the HSNO approval No. prior to being manufactured or imported in New Zealand.

Click below link to find more information about the Inventory of Existing Chemical Substance in New Zealand:

http://www.epa.govt.nz/search-databases/Pages/nzioc-search.aspx

This inventory is public for free search, in which 28206 substances are included and will be updated every quarter.

The Confidential Inventory of Existing Hazardous Chemicals is unavailable for opening search. EPA New Zealand will recheck those substances every 5 years.

Note 1：Only substance can be approved under HSNO.

Note 2: Some non-hazardous existing chemicals are also included in that inventory.

HSNO exemption

The following products are exempted from HSNO:

1. Substance only used in lab (except for POPS) and used for scientific research, teaching, and R&D.
2. Radioactive substance
3. Pharmaceuticals
4. Food
5. Articles
6. Infectious substances

The notification and approval of new hazardous chemicals

There are two kinds of approval for products under HSNO system:

Component approval

1. Substance with single component；
2. Pesticide, explosive, fuel, wood treatment, fumigant, vertebrate toxicant.

Standard group approval:

Other products; EPA currently approved 35 standard groups, and each standard group has one or several HSNO approval No.

HSNO procedure

1. Not all Chemicals listed on the Inventory have approvals under the HSNO Act to be imported or manufactured in their own right.

2. A hazardous chemical which does not have an EPA approval cannot be imported or manufactured before a Part V approval is obtained. Part V approval routes include:

• Full Release
• Rapid/Low hazard
• Rapid/Similar

• Rapid/Reduced Hazard.

For more information on these approval routes visit the EPA website

To estimate the hazard of substance / product

• Using the calculating methods in HSNO to calculate hazard.
• Submit an application to EPA to ask for hazard information of the substance/product. This service will be charge for $100+GS