Guidance

List of chemicals

Updated 8 August 2024

This is a list of chemicals defined in the Poisons Act.

Regulated explosives precursors

Substance CAS RN number
ammonium nitrate: 16% N (CAS RN 6484-52-2)
hexamine (CAS RN 100-97-0)
hydrochloric acid: 10% w/w (CAS RN 7647-01-0)
hydrogen peroxide: 12% w/w (CAS RN 7722-84-1)
nitromethane: 30% w/w (CAS RN 75-52-5)
nitric acid: 3% w/w (CAS RN 7697-37-2)
phosphoric acid: 30% w/w (CAS RN 7664-38-2)
potassium chlorate: 40% w/w (CAS RN 3811-04-9)
potassium perchlorate: 40% w/w (CAS RN 7778-74-7)
sodium chlorate: 40% w/w (CAS RN 7775-09-9)
sodium perchlorate: 40% w/w (CAS RN 7601-89-0)
sulfuric acid: 15% w/w (CAS RN 7664-93-9)

When the concentration of these explosives precursors is lower, they are reportable explosives precursors.

Regulated poisons

Substance CAS RN Number
aluminium phosphide (CAS RN 20859-73-8)
aluminium sulfide (CAS RN 1302-81-4)
arsenic and its compounds (arsenic: CAS RN 7440-38-2)
barium and its salts (other than barium sulphate, barium carbonate and barium silicofluoride) (barium: CAS RN 7440-39-3)
bromomethane (CAS RN 74-83-9)
calcium phosphide (CAS RN 1305-99-3)
calcium sulfide (CAS RN 20548-54-3)
chloropicrin (CAS RN 76-06-2)
fluoroacetic acid, its salts and fluoroacetamide (fluoroacetic acid: CAS RN 144-49-0)
hydrogen cyanide and metal cyanides (other than ferrocyanides and ferricyanides) (hydrogen cyanide: CAS RN 74-90-8)
lead acetates and compounds of lead with acids from fixed oils (lead acetate: CAS RN 15347-57-6)
magnesium phosphide (CAS RN 12057-74-8)
magnesium sulfide (CAS RN 12032-36-9)
mercury and its compounds (mercury: CAS RN 7439-97-6)
oxalic acid: 10% w/w (CAS RN 144-62-7)
phenols (phenol; phenolic isomers of the following: cresols, xylenols, monoethylphenols); compounds of phenols with a metal, 60% w/w of phenols or, for compounds of phenols with a metal, the equivalent of 60% w/w of phenols (phenol: CAS RN 108-95-2)
phosphorus yellow (CAS RN 7723-14-0)
sodium sulfide (CAS RN 1313-82-2)
strychnine and its salts and its quaternary compounds (strychnine: CAS RN 57-24-9)
thallium and its salts (thallium: CAS RN 7440-28-0)
zinc phosphide (CAS RN 1314-84-7)
2,4-dinitrophenol and compounds including sodium dinitrophenolate (2,4-dinitrophenol: CAS RN 51-28-5) (sodium dinitrophenolate: CAS RN 1011-73-0)

When the concentration of these poisons is lower, they are reportable poisons.

Reportable explosives precursors

Substance CAS RN number
acetone (CAS RN 67-64-1)
aluminium powders (CAS RN 7429-90-5)
calcium nitrate (CAS RN 10124-37-5)
calcium ammonium nitrate (CAS RN 15245-12-2)
magnesium nitrate hexahydrate (CAS RN 13446-18-9)
magnesium powders (CAS RN 7439-95-4)
potassium nitrate (CAS RN 7757-79-1)
sodium nitrate (CAS RN 7631-99-4)
sulfur (CAS RN 7704-34-9)

Reportable poisons

Substance CAS RN Number
aldicarb (CAS RN 116-06-3)
alpha-chloralose (CAS RN 15879-93-3)
ammonia 10% w/w (CAS RN 7664-41-7 and CAS RN 1336-21-6)
barium, salts of, the following: barium carbonate; barium silicofluoride  
carbofuran (CAS RN 1563-66-2)
cycloheximide (CAS RN 66-81-9)
dinitrocresols (DNOC), their compounds with a metal or a base (dinitrocresol: CAS RN 534-52-1)
dinoseb its compounds with a metal or a base (CAS RN 88-85-7)
dinoterb (CAS RN 1420-07-1)
drazoxolon; its salts (drazoxolon CAS RN 5707-69-7)
endosulfan (CAS RN 115-29-7)
endothal, its salts (endothal: CAS RN 145-73-3)
endrin (CAS RN 72-20-8)
fentin, compounds of (fentin: CAS RN 668-34-8)
formaldehyde 5% w/w (CAS RN 50-00-0)
formic acid 25% w/w (CAS RN 64-18-6)
hydrofluoric acid alkali metal bifluorides; ammonium bifluoride alkali metal fluorides; ammonium fluoride; sodium silicofluoride (hydrofluoric acid: CAS RN 7664-39-3) (ammonium bifluoride: CAS RN 1341-49-7) (ammonium fluoride: CAS RN 12125-01-8) (sodium silicofluoride: CAS RN 16893-85-9)
metallic oxalates  
metal phosphides  
metal sulfides and polysulfides  
methomyl (CAS RN 16752-77-5)
nicotine, its salts; its quarternary compounds (nicotine: CAS RN 54-11-5)
nitrobenzene 0.1% w/w (CAS RN 98-95-3)
oxamyl (CAS RN 23135-22-0)
paraquat, salts of (paraquat: CAS RN 4685-14-7)
phenols in substances containing no more than 60%, weight in weight, of phenols; compounds of phenols with a metal in substances containing no more than the equivalent of 60%, weight in weight, of phenols  
phosphorus compounds, the following: azinphos-methyl, chlorfenvinphos, demephion, demeton-S-methyl, demeton-S-methyl sulphone, dialifos, dichlorvos, dioxathion, disulfoton, fonofos, mecarbam, mephosfolan, methidathion, mevinphos, omethoate, oxydemeton-methyl, parathion, phenkapton, phorate, phosphamidon, pirimiphos-ethyl, quinalphos, thiometon, thionazin, triazophos, vamidothion  
potassium hydroxide 17% of total caustic alkalinity (CAS RN 1310-58-3)
sodium hydroxide 12% of total caustic alkalinity (CAS RN 1310-73-2)
sodium nitrite (CAS RN 7632-00-0)
sodium hypochlorite solutions, above 6% available chlorine (CAS RN 7681-52-9)
thiofanox (CAS RN 39196-18-4)

Products of particular interest are those in which a reportable chemical is either:

  • present on its own or the main ingredient
  • present in a simple mixture, typically less than 5 ingredients

Products containing less than 1% of any of the reportable chemicals, or fertilizers that are not labelled for nitrogen (N) content are, in general, of no concern.

The spelling of the chemicals is taken from the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) nomenclature.