Eurofins | July 2019 regulatory Newsflash compilation | Consumer Products

Europe

Standards Updates

Below a summary table with some recent standards updates and upcoming dates of withdrawal (non-exhaustive):

(*) Date of withdrawal: latest date by which national standards conflicting with an EN (and HD for CENELEC) have to be withdrawn.

(**) Date of availability: date when the definitive text in the official language versions of an approved CEN/CENELEC publication is distributed by the Central Secretariat.

Reference	Title	*Date of Withdrawal ()**	Supersedes
EN 527-2:2016+A1:2019	Office furniture - Work tables - Part 2: Safety, strength and durability requirements.	2019-11-30
EN 927-10:2019	Paints and varnishes - Coating materials and coating systems for exterior wood - Part 10: Resistance to blocking of paints and varnishes on wood.	2019-11-30	CEN/TS 16499:2013
EN ISO 2812-3:2019	Paints and varnishes - Determination of resistance to liquids - Part 3: Method using an absorbent medium (ISO 2812-3:2019).	2019-11-30	EN ISO 2812-3:2012
EN ISO 787-17:2019	General methods of test for pigments and extenders - Part 17: Comparison of lightening power of white pigments (ISO 787-17:2019).	2019-11-30	EN ISO 787-17:2017
EN ISO 20957-9:2016/A1:2019	Stationary training equipment - Part 9: Elliptical trainers, additional specific safety requirements and test methods - Amendment 1 (ISO 20957-9:2016/Amd 1:2019).	2019-11-30

Germany

New testing method for formaldehyde emission in wood-based materials

The Germany authorities included DIN EN 16516 in German Chemical Prohibition Ordinance (ChemVerbotsV) as one of the reference test methods for determining formaldehyde emission in wood-based materials.

Matrix	Sample preparation	Test method
Liquid / aqueous Cleaning and household care products	Extraction process	Test method for liquid matrix: Photometry/HPLC BVL K 84.00-7(EG):1991-09; HPLC (DNPH Methode).
Coated and uncoated wood materials	From 1 January 2020, the following testing methods will be applied:
	Reference	Title
	DIN EN 16516	Construction products: Assessment of release of dangerous substances - Determination of emissions into indoor air. Note: Emission measurement in the test chamber. Mean of a double determination from the 28th day as Steady state concentration. Air change 0.5/h, load 1.8 m2/m3; partial narrow-area sealing: circumference / area = 1.5 m-1
	DIN EN 717-1	Wood-based panels – Determination of formaldehyde release – Part 1: Formaldehyde emission by the chamber method. Note: Emission measurement in the test chamber; Compensation concentration should be multiplied by a factor of 2.
	z. B. EN ISO 12460-3	Wood-based panels – Determination of formaldehyde release – Part 3: Gas analysis method. Note: Derived methods are only suitable for production control. For this purpose, a product-related manufacturer correlation is to be determined.
	Until 31^st December 2019 the following testing methods are valid
	Reference	Title
	Bundesgesundheitsblatt 34, 10 (1991), pages 488-499.	Test method for wood-based materials and products manufactured from wood-based materials.
	DIN EN 717-1	Wood-based panels – Determination of formaldehyde release – Part 1: Formaldehyde emission by the chamber method.
	EN ISO 12460-3	Wood-based panels – Determination of formaldehyde release – Part 3: Gas analysis method.
	EN ISO 12460-5	Wood-based panels – Determination of formaldehyde release – Part 5: Extraction method (called the perforator method).

Click here for getting the amendment published in Federal Gazette (in German).

Glyphosate in tampons

On 27^th May 2019, the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) published the Communication No 19/2019 about glyphosate in tampons.

Glyphosate is a substance used in plant protection products as treatment of cotton which is the main component of tampons and feminine hygiene products.

BfR, after assessing the measured levels of this substance in this kind of products on the German market between 2015-2016, has concluded that the measured levels did not pose a health risk to consumers.

Standards Updates

Below a summary table with some recent ASTM standards updates:

Reference	Title
ASTM F1004 - 19	Standard Consumer Safety Specification for Expansion Gates and Expandable Enclosures.
ASTM F2614 - 19	Standard Specification for Condition 3 Bicycle Frames.
ASTM F2802 - 19	Standard Specification for Condition 1 Bicycle Frames.
ASTM F2843 - 19	Standard Specification for Condition 0 Bicycle Frames.
ASTM F2868 - 19	Standard Specification for Condition 2 Bicycle Frames.

US | California

California Proposition 65 Reformulations (June, 2019)

California Proposition 65 is the ‘Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986’, which has been effective for almost 30 years. Due to the implement of California Proposition 65, more and more court cases are settled to reduce the exposure of carcinogenic and reproductive chemicals by reformulating the consumer products containing such chemicals.

In order to keep retailers and manufacturers up-to-date, the highlights of some recent consent agreements are summarized as below:

Product

Chemical

Limit

Case No

Rain slickers and dog whistles

Lead

DEHP

100 ppm

1000 ppm

Products exceed the limit shall utilize a warning statement.

Out of court

Revised guidelines for formaldehyde emissions in composite wood products

On 16^th May 2019, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) published two updated guidelines for composite wood products under the CARB and the US EPA Title VI Regulation.

The aim of these guidelines is to provide assistance to comply with the mentioned legislation. The guidelines are:

For California the more stringent requirement shall be applied in case of differences between CARB and EPA requirements.

Third amendment to Bill proposal on Hazardous substances in jewelry

On 20^th June 2019, California proposed the third amendment of the SB 647 bill “Hazardous substances: metal-containing jewelry”, a Bill that was introduced in February 2019.

The main points about this bill proposal are:

Children's jewelry (15 years and younger).	Lead (surface coatings).	≤ 90 ppm
	Lead (accessible components).	≤100 ppm
	Soluble cadmium (surface coatings).	≤ 75 ppm
	Cadmium (components).	≤ 300 ppm
For body piercing jewelry (that is not children’s jewelry).	List of materials to be used in this type of jewelry: Surgical implant stainless steel. Surgical implant grade of titanium. Niobium (Nb). Solid 14 karat or higher white or yellow nickel-free gold. Solid platinum. A dense low-porosity plastic, including, but not limited to, Tygon or polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), if the plastic contains no intentionally added lead.
For jewelry that is not children’s jewelry	The jewelry has to be made entirely from one or more than one of the following materials: Stainless or surgical steel. Karat gold. Sterling silver. Platinum, palladium, iridium, ruthenium, rhodium, or osmium. Natural or cultured pearls. Glass, ceramic, or crystal decorative components, including cat’s eye, cubic zirconia, including cubic zirconium or CZ, rhinestones, and cloisonne. A gemstone that is cut and polished for ornamental purposes, excluding aragonite, bayldonite, boleite, cerussite, crocoite, ekanite, linarite, mimetite, phosgenite, samarskite, vanadinite, and wulfenite. Elastic, fabric, ribbon, rope, or string that does not contain intentionally added lead. All natural decorative material, including amber, bone, coral, feathers, fur, horn, leather, shell, or wood, that is in its natural state and is not treated in a way that adds lead. Adhesive. Electroplated metal containing less than 0.05 % (500 parts per million) lead by weight. Unplated metal not otherwise listed containing less than 0.05 % (500 parts per million) lead by weight. Plastic or rubber, including acrylic, polystyrene, plastic beads and stones, and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) containing less than 0.02 % (200 parts per million) lead by weight. A dye or surface coating containing less than 0.05 % (500 parts per million) lead by weight. Any other material that contains less than 0.05 % (500 parts per million) lead by weight.

US | Minnesota

Minnesota Strengthens Flame-retardant Chemicals Law in Certain Products

On May 22, 2019, Minnesota’s governor signed flame retardant bill HF 359 into law which amends Minnesota Statutes 2018, section 325F.071 by expanding the scope of products and flame retardants.

From July 1, 2021, manufacturers or wholesalers are not allowed to manufacture, sell, offer for sale, distribute for sale, or distribute for use in this State a children's product, upholstered residential furniture, residential textile, or mattress that contain any organohalogenated flame retardant exceeding 1,000 parts per million in any product component. The effective date for retailer to observe this ban is July 1, 2022.

The following are exempt from this prohibition:

The sale or offer for sale of any previously owned product containing a chemical restricted under this section.
An electronic component of a children’s product, mattress, upholstered residential furniture, or residential textile or associated casing.
A children’s product, mattress, upholstered residential furniture, or residential textile where a federal flammability standard exists.
Thread or fiber used for stitching mattress components together.
Components of an adult mattress other than foam.

This new law also restricts the use of PFAS chemicals in firefighting foams.

For more information click here.

US | New Jersey

New Jersey prohibits Asbestos in all kind of products

As already announced in our Eurofins News Flash May 2019 edition, in March 2019, New Jersey passed Assembly Bill A4416 to prohibit the sale or distribution of products containing asbestos in this State.

On 10^th May 2019, the Bill AB 4416 was signed (“An Act Concerning the Sale or Distribution of Products Containing Asbestos, and Supplementing Title 13 of the Revised Statutes”).

The prohibition will become effective on 1^st September 2019.

US | Washington

New requirements for environmental marketing claims

On 7^th May 2019, the governor of Washington signed the bill HB1569 on environmental marketing claims for plastic products (degradability of products).

Plastic product that is labeled as "biodegradable”, "degradable", "decomposable", "oxo-degradable", or any similar form, must comply with the following requirements:

Meet ASTM standard specification D6400 or D6868.
Be comprised of wood, which includes renewable wood, or fiber-based substrate only.
Meet Federal Trade Commission (FTC) green guide labeling requirements.
Be labeled with a logo indicating a third party has certified that the product complies with ASTM specifications.

It will become effective on 1^st July 2020.

China

Approval and release of national standards 2019

Recently, the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR), the Standardization Administration of the People’s Republic of China (SAC) and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of the People’s Republic of China published the announcement No.7 of 2019 and announcement No. 16 of 2019 ([First document] & [Second document] in Chinese) on the approval of national standards and national standard amendments.

Below a summary table with some of the relevant textile standards (non-exhaustive list):

Product Standard
Reference	Title	Replace to	Implementation date
FZ/T 72002-2019	Silver knitting fake fur.	FZ/T 72002-2006	2019-11-01
FZ/T 72007-2019	Warp knitted fake fur.	FZ/T 72007-2006	2019-11-01
FZ/T 72024-2019	Bedding with knitted fabric.		2019-11-01
FZ/T 72025-2019	Knitted fabric for trousers.		2019-11-01
FZ/T 73029-2019	Knitted trousers.	FZ/T 73029-2009	2019-11-01
FZ/T 73037-2019	Knitted sport socks.	FZ/T 73037-2010	2019-11-01
FZ/T 73061-2019	Knitted jacket.		2019-11-01
FZ/T 73062-2019	Knitted beachwear.		2019-11-01
FZ/T 73063-2019	Knitted maternity wear.		2019-11-01
FZ/T 74007-2019	Outdoor sunscreen skinsuit.		2019-11-01
FZ/T 81023-2019	Water-proof and moisture permeable wear.		2019-11-01
FZ/T 07003-2019	Technical specification for green-design product assessment–Silk products.
GB/T 22703-2019	Qipao.	GB/T 22703-2008	2020-01-01
GB/T 22853-2019	Knitted sportswear.	GB/T 22853-2009	2020-01-01
Test Method Standard
Reference	Title	Replace to	Implementation date
FZ/T 01148-2019	Textiles–Determination of adipic acid dihydrazide–LC-MS/MS.		2019-11-01
FZ/T 20033-2019	Determination of heterochromatic fibers and vegetable matter in wool and cashmere.		2019-11-01
FZ/T 50045-2019	Elastane filament yarns– Test method for cross-sectional area.		2019-11-01
GB/T 18886-2019	Textiles－Tests for colourfastness－Colourfastness to saliva.	GB/T 18886-2002	2020-01-01
GB/T 21655.2-2019	Textiles—Evaluation of absorption and quick-drying—Part 2: Method for moisture management tests.	GB/T 21655.2-2009	2020-01-01
GB/T 22701-2019	Rules of testing and inspection for professional clothing.	GB/T 22701-2008	2020-01-01
GB/T 23317-2019	Specification for clothing made of coated fabrics for protection against wet weather.	GB/T 23317-2009	2020-01-01

Some relevant standards related to toys, children’s products and others (non-exhaustive list):

No.	Standard No.	Standard Name	Implementation Date
1	GB/T 37624-2019	Stationery and sport products and parts—General requirements on volatile organic compounds (VOC).	2020-01-01
2	GB/T 37647-2019	Toy and children product—General principles for migration test of certain elements.	2020-01-01
3	GB/T 37651-2019	Stationery goods—Safety signs.	2020-01-01
4	GB/T 37638-2019	Determination of polybrominated biphenyls and polybrominated biphenyl ethers in plastic products—High performance liquid chromatography.	2020-01-01
5	GB/T 37639-2019	Determination of polybrominated biphenyls and polybrominated diphenyl ethers in plastic products—Gas chromatography and mass spectrometry.	2020-01-01
6	GB/T 37545-2019	Determination of 38 kinds of permitted colorants in cosmetics—High performance liquid chromatography.	2020-01-01
7	GB/T 18886-2019	Textiles－Tests for colour fastness－Colour fastness to saliva.	2020-01-01

International

Publications in the Series on the Safety of Manufactured Nanomaterials

In May 2019, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) published the following reports as part of its Series on the Safety of Manufactured Nanomaterials:

The aim of these documents is to identify the best parameters and methods for analyzing and getting physicochemical information on specific nanomaterials.

Regulatory updates

Below a summary table with some recent regulation proposals notified to World Trade Organization:

Notification number	Countries	Title
G/TBT/N/KOR/829	Korea	A draft revision of safety criteria for Umbrella & Parasol.
G/TBT/N/ECU/378	Ecuador	Draft second revision (2R) of Ecuadorian Standardization Institute Technical Regulation (PRTE INEN) No. 061 "Paints". It applies to the following products: Anti-corrosion paint; Alkyd gloss enamel. Architectural paints; Water-based emulsion paints (latex). Paints. Synthetic alkyd enamel for household use. Paints. Synthetic alkyd enamel for vehicles. Paints. Nitrocellulose base coats for repainting in the motor vehicle industry. Paints. Anti-corrosion alkyd vehicle primers. Paints. Anti-corrosion epoxy vehicle primers. Paints. Acrylic lacquers for repainting vehicles. Paints. Acid-catalysed clear or matt lacquers for wood finishing. Paints. Nitrocellulose lacquers for wood finishing. Paints. Nitrocellulose lacquers for repainting vehicles. Paints. Nitrocellulose and polyester fillers. Paints. Anti-corrosion coatings for high temperatures. Paints. Sandable nitrocellulose sealant for wood. Paints for traffic signs. Paints for use by children and in schools.
G/TBT/N/ECU/429	Ecuador	Draft first revision (1R) of Ecuadorian Technical Regulation PRTE INEN No. 132, "Absorbent paper products". It applies to the following products: Toilet paper. Paper serviettes. It does not apply to: Handkerchiefs, cleansing tissues and towels. Tablecloths. Bed sheets and similar household, sanitary or hospital articles. Articles of apparel and clothing accessories, of paper pulp, paper, cellulose wadding or webs of cellulose fibres.
G/TBT/N/ECU/455	Ecuador	Draft first revision (1R) of Ecuadorian Technical Regulation PRTE INEN No. 213 "Mattresses").
G/TBT/N/CHN/1329	China	Management Measures for Compulsory National Standards (Review draft).