Most people do not think about chemical regulations until something goes wrong. A product recall, a news headline about contaminated toys, a warning label on a can of paint.
But chemical regulations are not just about factory accidents and industrial waste. Some of the most heavily regulated substances in Korea are found in products that people encounter every day — furniture, paint, batteries, jewelry, and cleaning products.
Korea manages chemical substances through K-REACH (Act on Registration, Evaluation, etc. of Chemical Substances), one of the most detailed chemical regulation frameworks in Asia. Unlike systems that classify a substance as simply "banned" or "allowed," K-REACH assigns substances to multiple regulatory categories simultaneously. A single chemical can be classified as toxic, restricted, subject to accident preparedness requirements, and flagged as a CMR substance.
We looked up five chemicals that are present in everyday products and checked their actual K-REACH classifications using structured regulatory data.
How K-REACH classifies chemicals
K-REACH uses the following classifications. A substance can carry one or more at once:
| K-REACH classification | What it means |
|---|---|
| Toxic substance (유독물질) | Substance with confirmed toxicity to humans or the environment |
| Restricted substance (제한물질) | Use is prohibited for specific applications or above specific concentrations |
| Prohibited substance (금지물질) | Manufacture, import, sale, storage, transport, and use are fully banned |
| Priority management substance (중점관리물질) | Subject to enhanced monitoring and reporting |
| Accident preparedness substance (사고대비물질) | Facilities handling this substance must maintain emergency response plans |
| CMR substance (발암성·변이원성·생식독성물질) | Classified as carcinogenic, mutagenic, or reprotoxic |
| Registration-required substance (등록대상기존화학물질) | Must be formally registered with documentation before commercial use |
A substance classified as "restricted" is not necessarily less dangerous than one classified as "prohibited." The difference is in scope: prohibited substances are banned entirely, while restricted substances are banned only for specific uses or above specific concentrations.
Most of the chemicals on this list carry four or five classifications simultaneously.
1. Chrysotile asbestos — CAS 12001-29-5
Where you might encounter it: Older buildings, roofing materials, insulation, brake pads. Not in new products, but still present in buildings constructed before asbestos regulations took effect.
K-REACH classifications:
| Classification | Details |
|---|---|
| Prohibited substance | Chrysotile and mixtures containing 1% or more are fully banned — manufacture, import, sale, storage, transport, and use are all prohibited |
| CMR substance | Classified under the CMR category (carcinogenic, mutagenic, or reprotoxic substances) |
| Toxic substance | Chronic human toxicity confirmed (1%) |
| Priority management substance | Flagged as CMR and STOT (specific target organ toxicity) |
Chrysotile is one of six types of asbestos. All six are prohibited under K-REACH. The ban applies to the substance itself and any mixture containing 1% or more asbestos by weight.
How other countries compare:
Asbestos is banned in over 50 countries worldwide. The US has a more complicated history. In March 2024, the EPA finalized a rule banning ongoing uses of chrysotile asbestos — the only type still imported into the US at that time. However, the rule is currently facing legal challenges in the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, and enforcement has been paused while the EPA reconsiders the regulation. As of early 2026, the status of the US chrysotile ban remains unresolved.
Korea's ban has been in effect without legal challenge.
2. Formaldehyde — CAS 50-00-0
Where you might encounter it: Plywood furniture, particleboard, adhesives, some clothing treatments, building insulation materials. Formaldehyde is released as a gas from these products over time — a process known as off-gassing.
K-REACH classifications:
| Classification | Details |
|---|---|
| Restricted substance | Formaldehyde and mixtures containing 1% or more are banned for the following uses: furniture veneer, textiles, products for children aged 3 and under, wallpaper paste, and leather softeners |
| Accident preparedness substance | Facilities handling formaldehyde or mixtures containing 1% or more must maintain emergency response plans |
| Toxic substance | Acute and chronic human toxicity confirmed (acute: 1%, chronic: 0.1%) |
| Priority management substance | Flagged as CMR |
| Registration-required substance | Must be registered before commercial use |
Formaldehyde carries five simultaneous K-REACH classifications. The restriction does not ban formaldehyde entirely — it prohibits it in five specific product categories where consumer exposure is high.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), part of the World Health Organization, classifies formaldehyde as a Group 1 carcinogen — meaning there is sufficient evidence that it causes cancer in humans.
How other countries compare:
The EU restricts formaldehyde under REACH with concentration limits that vary by product type. The US regulates formaldehyde emissions from composite wood products under federal law, but does not impose use-category bans like Korea does.
3. Lead — CAS 7439-92-1
Where you might encounter it: Older paint, some ceramic glazes, certain metal jewelry, solder, and historically in gasoline and water pipes. Lead exposure remains a public health concern in older housing.
K-REACH classifications:
| Classification | Details |
|---|---|
| Restricted substance | Lead and mixtures exceeding 0.009% are banned for use in metal jewelry. Lead and its compounds exceeding 0.009% are also banned for use in paint (with exceptions for aviation, military, and marine anti-fouling applications) |
| Toxic substance | Chronic human toxicity confirmed (0.3%); ecological toxicity confirmed (2.5%) |
| Priority management substance | Flagged as CMR (and PBT for particles ≥1mm) |
| Registration-required substance | Must be registered before commercial use |
Lead is regulated in two product categories under K-REACH: metal jewelry and paint. The concentration threshold is 0.009% for both. The paint restriction has exceptions for aviation, military, and marine use.
How other countries compare:
Lead regulation varies globally. The EU restricts lead under REACH in jewelry, consumer articles, PVC products, and paint, with thresholds that vary by application. The US banned lead in residential paint in 1978.
4. Cadmium — CAS 7440-43-9
Where you might encounter it: Nickel-cadmium batteries, some inexpensive metal jewelry, pigments used in plastics and ceramics, and certain industrial coatings.
K-REACH classifications:
| Classification | Details |
|---|---|
| Restricted substance | Cadmium and mixtures containing 0.1% or more are banned for use in metal jewelry |
| Toxic substance | Acute human toxicity (1%), chronic human toxicity (0.1%), ecological toxicity (1%) confirmed |
| Priority management substance | Flagged as CMR and STOT (specific target organ toxicity) |
| Registration-required substance | Must be registered before commercial use |
Cadmium is restricted for one product category under K-REACH: metal jewelry. The threshold is 0.1% — higher than lead's 0.009%.
Cadmium has three separate toxicity classifications: acute human, chronic human, and ecological.
How other countries compare:
The EU restricts cadmium under REACH in jewelry, brazing alloys, PVC products, and paints, with varying thresholds. In the US, cadmium regulation is primarily handled at the state level, with California's Proposition 65 being one of the most prominent frameworks.
5. Dichloromethane (methylene chloride) — CAS 75-09-2
Where you might encounter it: Paint removers, industrial cleaning solvents, adhesives, and historically in some decaffeination processes.
K-REACH classifications:
| Classification | Details |
|---|---|
| Restricted substance | Dichloromethane and mixtures containing 0.1% or more are banned for two uses: (a) household cleaning products and aerosols, and (b) paint removal products for household, construction, and furniture applications |
| Toxic substance | Chronic human toxicity confirmed (0.1%) |
| Priority management substance | Flagged as CMR |
| Registration-required substance | Must be registered before commercial use |
Like formaldehyde, dichloromethane is not fully banned. The restriction covers consumer products only — industrial use is still permitted.
How other countries compare:
The EU banned dichloromethane in consumer paint strippers under REACH Annex XVII (entry 59). Professional use may be permitted in some EU member states under specific conditions. In the US, the EPA finalized a rule in May 2024 that restricts dichloromethane across consumer, commercial, and most industrial applications.
What the data shows
The pattern across all five substances is clear: K-REACH does not just label something as "dangerous." Each substance gets a specific set of classifications based on what it is, how it is used, and who is exposed.
| Substance | Tox | Rest | Proh | Prior | Acc | CMR | Reg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chrysotile | ✅ | — | ✅ | ✅ | — | ✅ | — |
| Formaldehyde | ✅ | ✅ | — | ✅ | ✅ | — | ✅ |
| Lead | ✅ | ✅ | — | ✅ | — | — | ✅ |
| Cadmium | ✅ | ✅ | — | ✅ | — | — | ✅ |
| DCM | ✅ | ✅ | — | ✅ | — | — | ✅ |
Tox = Toxic, Rest = Restricted, Proh = Prohibited, Prior = Priority management, Acc = Accident preparedness, Reg = Registration required
Only asbestos is fully prohibited. The other four are restricted for specific uses — jewelry, paint, furniture materials, household cleaners — but remain available for industrial applications.
K-REACH at a glance
K-REACH covers over 47,000 chemical substances. The five substances in this article carry between four and five classifications each.
The classifications and restriction details covered here are available through the K-REACH Chemical Substance API on RapidAPI. One CAS number query returns the full regulatory profile — toxicity flags, restriction conditions, and GHS classifications.
Methodology and Sources
Substance classifications were retrieved from a structured database of K-REACH chemical substances maintained by Decoded Korea. Each substance's regulatory status was verified against the K-REACH classifications sourced from the Korea Ministry of Environment and Korea Environment Corporation through official data.go.kr APIs.
International comparisons are based on publicly available regulatory information:
- EU: REACH Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006, Annex XVII (Restrictions)
- US: EPA regulations under TSCA, including the 2024 chrysotile asbestos rule and 2024 methylene chloride rule
- IARC: Monographs on the Identification of Carcinogenic Hazards to Humans
Important Notice: This article is for informational purposes only. It is not legal, regulatory, or medical advice. Chemical regulations change frequently — always verify current status against official sources before making business or compliance decisions. For full terms, see our Disclaimer.
Decoded Korea publishes data-driven analysis of Korean cosmetic ingredients, chemical regulations, and safety data.
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