Supreme Council sets new curbs on restricted chemicals

TDT | Manama

Email: mail@newsofbahrain.com

Two new decisions from the Supreme Council for Environment draw a hard line between restricted chemicals requiring prior written approval and substances banned in all cases.

Decision No. 8 of 2025 requires approval before any person or company may produce, import, export or trade restricted chemicals listed in an attached schedule.

The list appears to run to about 224 entries, each named with a CAS number, signalling a detailed, item-by-item approach rather than a general warning.

The decision links the new rules to Law No. 7 of 2022 on the Environment.

Request

Applicants must submit a request using the council’s form with the required details, and the council can ask for extra information or documents.

A decision must be issued within one month once the application is complete and the conditions set by the relevant department are met.

Importers and users of the restricted substances must also submit an annual report covering the types of chemicals handled, quantities imported and stored, and how they were dealt with, including sale, use or disposal, alongside any other details the council requires under its approved template.

Alongside this, the council issued Decision No. 9 of 2025, which sets out chemicals prohibited from import, formulation, manufacture or use in all cases for health or environmental reasons.

The attached schedule lists 26 banned substances, including several halon and CFC/ HCFC-related compounds, as well as multiple types of asbestos, all identified by CAS numbers.

Decision No. 9 also allows the council, when in doubt about a chemical compound, commodity or product, to require the importer or user to test samples at a lab or specialist body accepted by the council to confirm they are free of banned substances.

Penalties for breaches of both decisions fall under the sanctions set out in the 2022 environment law.

Decision No. 8 also repeals Decision No. 7 of 2002 on controlling the import and use of prohibited and severely restricted chemicals.

Both measures were issued by the President of the Supreme Council for Environment, His Excellency Shaikh Abdullah bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, and take effect the day after publication in the Official Gazette.