PIP (3:1) Implications: IPC Issues Industry Alert on Prohibition of PIP (3:1)

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) final risk management rules to reduce exposure to persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic chemicals (PBTs) went into effect on February 5, 2021. Some of the five PBTs listed have a history of use in electronics, including phenol, isopropylated, phosphate (3:1) (known as PIP (3:1)).

The final rule for PIP (3:1) prohibits the processing and distribution of this chemical substance or products containing this chemical substance as of March 8, 2021. There are some exceptions to the prohibition, for example, for new and replacement parts for automotive and aerospace industries, however, there are no electronics industry exceptions.

As a chemical that can perform several functions simultaneously, sometimes under extreme conditions, PIP (3:1) has several distinctive applications: It is used as a plasticizer; a flame retardant; an anti-wear additive; or an anti-compressibility additive in hydraulic fluid, lubricating oils, lubricants and greases, various industrial coatings, and in adhesives and sealants. PIP (3:1) is also used in plastic-containing materials that are used to form tubes, harnesses, cables, sleeves, gaskets, and covers of parts – parts that are used in electrical or electronic products.

If the March 8 prohibition will have adverse impacts on your supply chain or if you have information regarding the function of PIP (3:1) in electronics and the types and quantity of products affected, please contact Kelly Scanlon, IPC’s director of environmental policy and research as soon as possible.