The new Chinese standard for cosmetics Safety and Technical Standards for Cosmetics (Version 2015) published by the end by 2015 will come into operation in December. The new standard adopts stricter limits for lead and arsenic, includes general requirements for hazardous substances cadmium, dioxane and asbestos. It also amends the lists for prohibited/restricted and allowed substances in cosmetics and adds test methods. It is advisable that cosmetics manufacturers and import ...

On 10 November 2016, the WTO/TB 71th regular meeting was held in Geneva. On the same day, Chemicals Research Review Base under Shanghai Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine of the People's Republic of China convened specialists to hold TBT Notification Conference for Chemicals Review in the rear to response to the Chinese delegation so as to fully show the interest pursuits for the Chinese industries. Ms. Laura Ho, technician of Hangzhou C&K T ...

On 17 November 2016, the European Commission has submitted notifications G/TBT/N/EU/423, G/TBT/N/EU/424 and G/TBT/N/EU/425 aiming to renew or revise the three existing exemptions under RoHS Annex III. Oeko-Institute was entrusted by the European Commission to hold a stakeholder period for the three exemptions during April to June 2015 and it published a final report containing the assessment of the application in Feb. 2016. In the notifications, it will renew the exemption d ...

Mexico has published the Mexican Official Standard NOM-231-SSA1-2016, Glazed Pottery Articles, Ceramic ware, Porcelain, and Glassware - Limits of Soluble Lead and Cadmium – Test Method on 25 October 2016. The new standard supersedes NOM-231-SSA1-2002 and will come into operation on 25 December 2016. It is noted that the update broadens the scope of this mandatory standard to include glassware. Migration of lead and cadmium in glassware in NOM-231-SSA1-2016 Type of specimen ...

On 22 November 2016, the US Federal Register has released a final rule to remove the approval for the use of two long-chain perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) as water and oil repellents for paper and paperboard in contact with aqueous and fatty foods. The rule becomes effective immediately and has a 30-day period to file objections from 22 November. The rule is a response to a 3M Corporation’s petition, which said that the use of PFCs has been intentionally and permanently a ...

European Commission has commissioned BiPRO to hold a stakeholder consultation for two new RoHS exemptions, which runs six weeks from 28 October 2016 to 9 December 2016. The details for two exemption requests: SN Application Application Documents A-2016 Cadmium in video cameras designed for use in environments exposed to ionising radiation with a dose rate in excess of 100Gy/hour and a total dose in excess of 100KGy with a centre resolution greater than 450 TV Lines Mirion Te ...

On 17 November 2016, Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) publishes Notification 56 approving 605 industry standards, including 74 for textiles. These textile standards will come into operation on 1 April 2017. Extract of new textile standards Standard No. Standard Title Replaced Standard Date of Applicability FZ/T 01028-2016 Textiles-Flammability-Determination of vertical burning rate FZ/T 01028-1993 1 April 2017 FZ/T 01137-2016 Textiles-Determinat ...

National Health and Family Planning Commission of the People's Republic of China (NHFPC) has released 53 national standards as regards food safety including GB 4806.1-2016Food Safety—National Standard on Food Contact Materials and Articles—General Requirementson 11 November 18. In the new regulatory framework of food contact materials (FCMs) in China, food contact articles are divided into different categories as per their materials, namely: enamels, ceramics, glasses, p ...

EU member states approved the proposal to lower the migration limit of Bisphenol A (BPA) in toys intended for use by children under 36 months from 0,1 mg/l to 0,04 mg/l on 14 November 2016. The new limit will come into operation following the 18 months since its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union. The proposal has been reported in about three months ago by C&K Testing (EU proposes to lower the BPA limit in toys again).The revision will be made in A ...

On 11th Nov. 2016, CFDA released a notice to adopt In Vitro 3T3 Neutral Red Uptake Phototoxicity Assay (In Vitro 3T3 NRU PT) on cosmetic ingredients. This method is added to the Chapter VI of Technical Safety Standard of Cosmetics 2015. As we know, In Vitro 3T3 NRU PT has been consulted in public since 2012 and final accepted after 4 years. Definitely, it represents a step forward toward alternative methods in cosmetics in China. In Vitro 3T3 NRU PT was developed and validat ...