China releases drafts of new, revised mandatory national standards for GHS implementation

“Desensitized explosives” would be introduced as a new hazard class.

The following two draft standards were made public by the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology on June 16, 2023, to implement the GHS (Globally Harmonised System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals): –

1. A revised mandatory national standard, “Rules for classification and labelling of chemicals — Part 1:
General specifications” (GB 30000.1)
2. A new mandatory national standard, “Rules for classification and labelling of chemicals — Part X:
Desensitized explosives” (GB 30000.30)

Rules for classification and labelling of chemicals — Part 1: General specifications (draft revision)

● Based on the eighth edition of the GHS Purple Book, this is a draft modification of the standards 2009 iteration. The 2009 version is based on the Purple Books second edition. The updated standard outlines guidelines for the GHS-based categorization and labelling of chemicals.
● The draft incorporates modifications to the classification of chemicals. For instance, the physicochemical dangers now include desensitised explosives. The standards labelling, SDS, and other relevant elements would be partially eliminated from the current version. Because of this, GB 15258 and any pertinent national standards must be consulted when creating labels and SDSs.
● The final version has not yet been published, but it is anticipated to go into effect six months after that. Other comparable national standards, such as GB 30000.2-29, are based on the GHS Purple Books fourth edition and will probably be modified in the future to reflect a more recent edition.

Rules for classification and labelling of chemicals — Part X: Desensitized explosives (draft)

● This proposed new standard is based on the GHS Purple Book, ninth edition. The proposed standard outlines categorization criteria and decision logics for desensitised explosives. A desensitised explosive, for instance, is one whose exothermic decomposition energy is 300 J/g or more and has undergone desensitisation treatment.
● A publication date of the final version has not been set, but it is expected to take effect 12 months after the publication.