India bans manufacture, import of PCBs

India has banned the manufacture and import of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), as well as the import of equipment containing these carcinogenic, synthetic organic chemicals. Under the order, announced on April 6 by India’s Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change, “the use of PCBs in any form shall be completely prohibited” by the end of 2025. The decision is in line with the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants that India signed in May 2002 and ratified in January 2006. Import, export, or trade of PCB-contaminated equipment will be regulated as hazardous waste under the new directive. The use of PCB-containing equipment shall be permitted for the equipment’s certified lifetime or until Dec. 31, 2025, whichever is earlier, provided the equipment is maintained properly without the possibility of leakage or release of PCBs into the environment.