The new limits are part of the Korean REACH chemical regulation, which aims to protect public health and the environment from harmful chemicals. The regulation is based on several procedures and is being introduced gradually over several years. K-REACH includes requirements for the registration of used substances as well as rules for maximum authorised concentrations in different applications.
When it comes to biocides in antifouling products, the limit values for a number of biocides have already been clearly tightened and in the future limitations will also be tightened for biocides not yet affected by the new regulations.
The proposal for new limit values for biocides in antifouling paint is still under investigation, but the information provided by the Korean authorities so far indicates that the limit values for the maximum permitted concentration in a paint will be significantly reduced for all biocides. The biocides currently used in antifouling products require different levels of concentration depending on their effectiveness.
"Different biocides require different level of concentration in the paint to be effective, in some cases up to 45 per cent, while in our case we are dealing with very low concentrations in this context, which is of course a great advantage. However, great technical progress is required from the paint companies to succeed in producing products that meet the regulatory requirements without compromising in terms of performance. Given
Selektope is used in antifouling products by several global paint manufacturers and has proven to be very effective in preventing barnacle growth.
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