March 2024

In the US, when hazards are identified in consumer products, they will be recalled and published in the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) Recent Recalls on the CPSC website, which is updated daily. The US recalls from 01 February 2024 to 29 February 2024 are summarized below:

*Other Hazards include Ingestion Hazard, Choking Hazard, Suffocation Hazard, Poisoning Hazard, Fall Hazard, Entrapment Hazard, Risk of Exposure to Combustion Flue Gas, Lead Poisoning Hazard, Health Risk Hazard, Tip-Over Hazard and Impact Hazard with a frequency of less than 3.

*Other Categories include Household Items, Car Accessories, Bodycare / Cosmetics, Outdoor Living Items, Chemicals, Machinery, Accessories, Computer / Audio / Video / Other Electronics & Accessories and Tools and Hardware with a frequency of less than 2.

In Canada, when hazards are identified in consumer products, they will be recalled and published in the Recalls and Safety Alerts Database on the Health Canada website, which is updated daily. The Canada recalls from 01 February 2024 to 29 February 2024 are summarized below:

*Other Hazards include Injury Hazard, Crash Hazard, Entrapment Hazard, Entanglement Hazard, Strangulation Hazard, Laceration Hazard and Impact Hazard with a frequency of less than 5.

ECHA has announced a consultation phase for potential inclusion of two chemicals as SVHC. Should these listings be approved, the number of substances recognized as SVHC on the candidate list will be updated to 242 entries.

On 1 March 2024, the European Chemical Agency (ECHA) launched a 45-days public consultation on two new potential Substances of Very High Concern (SVHC) as shown in the table as below.

A decision will be made whether these substances will be included in the ECHA Candidate List of SVHC after the consultation period.

If this is approved, the number of SVHCs on the Candidate List will be updated from 240 entries to 242 entries in mid-year 2024.

Manufacturers and importers should take note of these chemicals and potential current use in their processes or products to plan accordingly.

Bis(α,α-dimethyl benzyl) peroxide is used in several product types including, but not limited to wood products such as flooring, toys, and furniture, glass or ceramic products such as dishes, cookware and food storage containers, and plastic products such as those used for food packaging and toys.

Triphenyl phosphate is used in cosmetics, the production of plastic and rubber products and in adhesives and sealants, etc.

In Europe, when hazards are identified in non-food consumer products, the products will be recalled and published in the Safety Gate system, which is updated weekly. The European recalls from 01 February 2024 to 29 February 2024 are summarized below:

*Other Hazards include Strangulation Hazard, Cut Hazard, Health Risk Hazard, Suffocation Hazard, Safety Risk Hazard, Microbiological Hazard, Damage to Sight, Damage to Hearing, Asphyxiation Hazard and Entrapment Hazard with a frequency of less than 8.

*Other Categories include Jewelry, Computer / Audio / Video / Other Electronics & Accessories, Household Items, Footwear, Sporting Goods / Equipment, Furniture, Tools and Hardware, Home Electrical Appliances and Stationery with a frequency of less than 8.

*Other Countries include Cyprus, Romania, Finland, Estonia, Ireland, Malta, The Netherlands, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Greece, Norway, Latvia and Slovakiawith a frequency of less than 11.

China National Certification and Accreditation Administration (CNCA) will implement a modification in the conformity assessment system testing standards for China RoHS on 1 March, 2024.

On 25 January, 2024, CNCA published Announcement No. 3 of 2024, to align with international standards for the determination of hazardous substances in electrical and electronic products for China RoHS requirement, with reference to the GB/T 39560 series of testing standard. These standards are effective from 1 March,2024.

Under the announcement, existing testing standard GB/T 26125 “Electrical and electronic products - Determination of six regulated substances” was replaced by a new set of testing standards GB/T 39560 series, for conformity assessment against China RoHS.

This GB/T 39560 series of standard correspond to IEC 62321 series of standard applied for EU RoHS requirement.

Details about the GB/T 39560 standard series and its’ correlation with IEC 62321 standard series, are summarized as below:

In addition, with reference to the announcement, the updated requirements are implemented as below:

In China, when hazards are identified in consumer products, they will be recalled and published in the SAMR Defective Product Administrative Centre, which is updated daily. The China recalls from 01 February 2024 to 29 February 2024are summarized below:

*Other Hazards include Risk of Allergy, Skin Irritation Risk, Strangulation Hazard, Burn Hazard, Fall Hazard and Injury Hazard with a frequency of less than 2.

*Other Categories include Toys and Childcare Products, Food Contact Material, Furniture, Chemicals, Stationery and Protective Equipment with a frequency of less than 2.

In Australia, when hazards are identified in consumer products, they will be recalled and published in the Recalls and Safety Alerts Database on the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission website, which is updated daily. The Australia recalls from 01 February 2024 ­to 29 February 2024are summarized below: