Corrosive drain cleaners – a brief overview of rules

Innehållsförteckning:

Permits for very hazardous chemical products
Ban on liquid drain cleaners
Additional rules for drain cleaners
More information

Products intended for drain opening and drain cleaning, known as drain cleaners, are often highly corrosive chemical products that are covered by several different legislations. In addition to general rules on chemical products, drain cleaners are subject to specific rules that apply only in Sweden. If you import, manufacture or sell corrosive drain cleaners, you are responsible for ensuring that your products fulfil the requirements of all regulations.

Drain cleaners are used to clean and clear drains of clogs that may consist of grease, hair, soap and food residues. Many drain cleaners on the Swedish market contain sodium or potassium hydroxide and are highly corrosive. They are sometimes referred to as caustic soda or lye and, if handled carelessly, can cause serious corrosive damage to the skin, eyes, mouth and oesophagus. Even small amounts can lead to serious injuries and there are many accidents involving corrosive drain cleaners every year.

There are several different rules for drain cleaners. For example, you need to inform your customers about the contents and hazardous properties and check whether your products are subject to permit requirements or prohibited. Therefore, you need to have a good knowledge of the rules on chemicals.

Permits for very hazardous chemical products

In Sweden, there are national rules on permit requirements for the private use and professional sale of very hazardous chemical products. According to the rules for the classification and labelling of chemical products in the CLP Regulation, very hazardous chemical products include the hazard class Skin corrosive in hazard category1A. Such products are also referred to here as highly corrosive products.

However, there is an exemption to the permit rules, which means that if you sell corrosive products in hazard category 1A, you do not need a permit for your sale. In addition, there is also an exemption for the private use of sodium and potassium hydroxide, as substances or in mixtures. Many of the drain cleaners on the Swedish market are therefore currently exempted from the permit requirement, as they contain sodium or potassium hydroxide.

The Swedish Chemicals Agency wants to reduce the use of highly corrosive drain cleaners among privateusers, as serious accidents involving such use have increased in recent years. In addition, there are several alternatives available to highly corrosive drain cleaners, both chemical and mechanical, which are safer to use.

The Swedish Chemicals Agency has therefore decided to change the rules so that the exemption for sodium and potassium hydroxide will not apply to the private use of products intended for cleaning and unblocking drains. This means that from 1 January 2025, private users must have a permit from the county administrative board to be able to buy and use products intended for unplugging or cleaning drains. This applies if the products contain sodium or potassium hydroxide in such a concentration that they are classified in the hazard class Skin corrosion in hazard category 1A and are therefore considered very hazardous.

What will apply to you if you sell drain cleaners after 1 January 2025?

From 1 January 2025, if you sell corrosive drain cleaners, you must check that private users who want to buy the products have a valid permit, otherwise you are not allowed to sell the product. You must also keep records of sales. However, you who sell the products do not need to have a permit yourself, as the professional sale of hazard class 1A corrosive products is exempted from the requirements.

Also notice that chemical products that are subject to the permit requirements must be stored in such a way that unauthorised persons cannot access them. One way to do this is to ensure that the products are kept locked up or placed behind the sales counter.

Other highly corrosive products containing sodium or potassium hydroxide, which are not intended for the cleaning of drains, may continue to be purchased and used by private users without an permit requirement. The reason why the permit requirement applies to highly corrosive drain cleaners is because that type of use causes the most accidents in the home, according to data from the Swedish Poisons Information Centre.

Ban on liquid drain cleaners

There has been a long-standing Swedish ban on liquid products used for drain cleaning that are highly corrosive. The ban means that such products may not be sold in Sweden, either to private or professional users.

The ban applies to products in liquid form containing more than ten percent by weight of acid or more than two per cent by weight of base (lye). The ban applies to products in liquid form, which means that some products in gel form are also covered by the ban. Products in granular form are not covered by the ban, but they may be subject to the private use permit requirement from 1 January 2025.

Additional rules for drain cleaners

In addition to the specific Swedish rules for drain cleaners, they are also subject to general legislation for chemical products. Many of the rules apply throughout the EU, for example, you may need to classify, label and package the products according to the rules of the CLP Regulation and provide safety data sheets to your professional customers as required by the REACH Regulation. You may also need to register your products to the Products Register at the Swedish Chemicals Agency (KemI) according to national rules.

The chemical rules are intended to ensure that your products are safe to handle, both for the user and the environment. If you import, manufacture or sell drain cleaners, you are responsible for ensuring that your products meet the requirements of all legislations.

More information

Here, you can find our questions and answers for those who sell drain cleaners.

Here, you can find our information on drain cleaners aimed at private users.

Here, you can find more information on drain cleaners at the Swedish Poisons Information Centre External link. (in Swedish only).

Last published 2 October 2024