Chemicals: NSW overview

The NSW Government, together with local councils, regulates the use of chemicals to ensure they are managed responsibly and to reduce their impact on the environment and human health.

Regulating chemicals in NSW

The EPA regulates environment protection including:

• the use and disposal of industrial chemicals that pose a serious threat to the environment – see Industrial chemicals
• the use of PFAS firefighting foams – see Regulation of PFAS firefighting foams
• chemical air emissions from industry, wood heaters, open burning, motor vehicles and fuels – see Air: NSW Overview
• the use of pesticides after they are sold – see Pesticides: NSW Overview
• radioactive substances, radioactive sources and radiation apparatus – see Radiation
• the transport of dangerous goods by road and rail as part of a national scheme in partnership with SafeWork NSW – see Dangerous goods
• significant land contamination caused by chemical contaminants – see Contaminated land
• the storage of petroleum in underground storage systems – see Underground petroleum storage systems
• the management and disposal of chemical waste – see Waste: NSW Overview

Other agencies regulate:

• most agricultural and veterinary chemical products (other than pesticides), including medicines, fertilisers and requirements for labelling stock foods and for contamination standards – see NSW Department of Primary Industries
• the health, safety and welfare of people in workplaces – see SafeWork NSW
• requirements to ensure that medicines are safely stored, distributed, prescribed and supplied – see NSW Health
• food safety throughout the supply chain – see NSW Food Authority

Licensing

Businesses and some individuals that are storing, treating, using, transporting or disposing of chemicals may require a licence. Please see the EPA’s regulatory responsibilities above.

Chemicals in the home

Chemicals are present in many household products and can pose risks if not handled and disposed of properly. These chemicals range from cleaning agents to building materials and require careful management to protect the environment and human health. See Chemicals in the home.

Drycleaning chemicals

Dry cleaners have legal responsibilities to protect their staff and the environment from Perchloroethylene (PERC) waste, a suspected cancer-causing chemical. See Dry cleaning chemicals.

National and international regulatory frameworks

National chemical management schemes and international agreements support the framework for regulating potentially harmful chemicals in NSW. See National and international regulatory frameworks.