June 2022 Regulatory Update

NORTH AMERICA NEWS

USA: Banned - Inclined Sleepers for Infants and Crib Bumpers

On 16 May 2022, public law no: 117-126 under the Bill H.R. 3182 was published. This law bans the sale, manufacture, and importation of inclined sleepers for infants and crib bumpers.
This ban will be effective 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act.

View Story Read More

Public law no. 117-126, Safe Sleep for Babies Act of 2021, was enacted to ban inclined sleepers for infants and crib bumpers, regardless of the date of manufacture. These products will be considered a banned hazardous product under section 8 of the Consumer Product Safety Act, as they have been determined to be consumer products which present an unreasonable risk of injury and whereby no feasible consumer product safety standard under this chapter would adequately protect the public from the unreasonable risk of injury associated with these products.

Inclined Sleeper for infant means a product with an inclined sleep surface greater than ten degrees that is intended, marketed, or designed to provide sleeping accommodations for an infant up to 1 year old.

Crib Bumper

  • means any material that is intended to cover the sides of a crib to prevent injury to any crib occupant from impacts against the side of a crib or to prevent partial or complete access to any openings in the sides of a crib to prevent a crib occupant from getting any part of the body entrapped in any opening;
  • includes a padded crib bumper, a supported and unsupported vinyl bumper guard, and vertical crib slat covers; and
  • does not include a non-padded mesh crib liner.
For More Information About This Story:
Contact: Vivian Chan (Technical Consultant)
Phone: (852) 3185 8052
Email: regulatoryupdates@qima.com

USA: Maryland Restricts PFAS in Certain Consumer Products

The state of Maryland introduced a law which restricts perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in various consumer products. This prohibition of PFAS will become effective on 1 January 2024.

View Story Read More

On 21 April 2022, Maryland’s Governor signed bill HB 275 (SB 273) –Environment – PFAS Chemicals – Prohibitions and Requirements (George “Walter” Taylor Act) into law which regulates several consumer products containing perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).

“PFAS chemicals” are defined by the bill as a class of fluorinated organic chemicals that contain at least one fully fluorinated carbon atom, including perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances and are used in fire-fighting agents, fire-fighting equipment, food packaging, and rugs and carpets.

The new law prohibits:

  • The manufacturing, selling, or distributing of certain rugs or carpets in Maryland on or after 1 January 2024 (second-hand rugs and carpets are exempted).
  • A manufacturer or distributor from manufacturing, selling, or distributing certain food packaging intended for direct food contact in Maryland on or after 1 January 2024.
  • The use, manufacture, or knowing sale or distribution of Class B fire-fighting foam that contains intentionally added PFAS chemicals in Maryland on or after 1 January 2024.

The law also requires that sellers of personal protective equipment (PPE) for firefighters which contain PFAS must provide a written notice to purchasers at the point of sale, indicating that the PPE contains PFAS and the reason why the PPE contains PFAS chemicals. Both the seller and the purchaser of the PPE that contains PFAS must retain the notice for at least three years after the date of sale. For food packaging, rugs and carpets, manufacturers must provide a certificate of compliance (CoC) to demonstrate compliance within 30-days of request by the department.

For More Information About This Story:
Contact: Alex Hui (Senior Technical Manager)
Phone: (852) 3185 8000
Email: regulatoryupdates@qima.com

United States (US) Recalls Summary (01 May 2022 to 31 May 2022)

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 May 2022 to 31 May 2022 are summarized below:

View Story Read More
Hazards Frequency
Burn Hazard 6
Choking Hazard 2
Laceration Hazard 1
Injury Hazard 2
Crash Hazard 1
Fall Hazard 2
Fire Hazard 1

Product Categories Frequency
Fabric / Textile / Garment / Home Textile 5
Sporting Goods / Equipment 3
Toys and Childcare Products 2
Food Contact Material 1

For a complete list click here


Canada: Public Consultation is Opened on Proposed Prohibition of Certain Toxic Substances Regulation 2022

Canada opened a consultation period for its proposed regulation on certain toxic substances, intended to repeal and replace the prohibition from 2012, under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA). If approved, the new law will enter into force six months after its publication.

View Story Read More

On 14 May 2022, a proposed Prohibition of Certain Toxic Substances Regulations, 2022 was published in the Canada Gazette, Part l to repeal and replace the nation’s Prohibition of Certain Toxic Substances Regulations, 2012. A 75-day public comment period is open until 28 July 2022. Such regulation will help to improve environmental quality and control the release of toxic substances into the environment over time. The new law would enter into force six months after publication in the Canada Gazette, Part II.

The proposed regulation will further restrict the manufacture, use, sale, and import of the following substances, and products containing them, by removing certain exemptions or limiting the activities:

  • Perfluorooctane sulfonate, its salts and its precursors (PFOS)
  • Perfluorooctanic acid, its salts and its precursors (PFOA)
  • Long-chain perfluorocarboxylic acids, their salts and their precursors (LC-PFCAs)
  • Hexabromocyclododecane (HBCDD)
  • Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs)

There are two new substances, Decane Plus (DP) and Decabromodiphenylethane (DBDPE), proposed for the prohibition in all products, with several exemptions. The legal text would be further simplified to consolidate all substance-specific exemptions into one schedule.

The proposed legislation would define the concentration thresholds for these substances. If the substance is present at or below the limit value, it is considered an incidental presence. Hence, the prohibition would not be applicable. The details of the threshold limits are shown in below table.

Entry Toxic substance Concentration thresholds
1 HBCDD 100 ppm
2 PBDEs 500 ppm for all congeners in a manufactured item or in a product that is not a commercial grade substance, commercial grade mixture, polymer or resin and 10 ppm for each congener in a product that is a commercial grade substance, commercial grade mixture, polymer or resin
3 PFOS 1 ppm
4 PFOA 1 ppm
5 LC-PFCAs 1 ppm
For More Information About This Story:
Contact: Alex Hui (Senior Technical Manager)
Phone: (852) 3185 8000
Email: regulatoryupdates@qima.com

Canada Recalls Summary (01 May 2022 to 31 May 2022)

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 May 2022 to 31 May 2022 are summarized below:

View Story Read More
Hazards Frequency
Microbiological Hazard 9
Health Risk Hazard 4
Risk of Allergy 2
Fire Hazard 3
Choking Hazard 1
Laceration Hazard 1
Burn Hazard 3
Injury Hazard 1
Aspiration Hazard 1

Product Categories Frequency
Food 12
Home Electrical Appliances 1
Fabric / Textile / Garment / Home Textile 2
Electrical Appliances 2
Bodycare / Cosmetics 1
Chemicals 1
Cannabis 1
Outdoor Living Items 1

For a complete list click here


SOUTH AMERICA NEWS

Brazil: Ordinance No. 148 for Household Electrical Appliances

On 31 March 2022, the Brazil National Institute of Metrology, Quality and Technology (INMETRO) published Ordinance No. 148 which revokes Ordinance No. 371 of 29 December 2009, to approve Conformity Assessment Requirements and Specifications for Household Electrical Appliances.

View Story Read More

This Ordinance will enter into force on 2 May 2022, as determined by Article 4 of Decree No. 10.139, of 2019 which provides for “the review and consolidation of normative acts inferior to the decree issued by bodies and entities of the direct federal, autarchic and foundational public administration.”

Updates:

  1. For all products except compressors, the complete type tests must be carried out, reports from foreign labs can’t be accepted (6.1.1.4.1.2)
  2. Quality Management System verification is added for the Initial Assessment based on the requirements of ISO 9001:2015 or ABNT NBR ISO 9001:2015 (6.1.1.3.2)
  3. The general requirement standard for Household and Similar Electrical Appliances is updated to IEC 60335-1: 2016 (Ed. 5.2), and the particular requirement for Household and Similar Electrical Appliances IEC 60335-2 series with editions were introduced (3.1 and 3.2)
  4. Extended product scope in table 1 of Annex III, the relevant standard refers to clause 3.1
  5. The certification of conformity is valid for 6 years, replacing the previous 3 years (6.1.1.6.1)
  6. If the dimensions of the appliance do not allow the application of the complete Conformity Identification Seat, the compact Conformity Identification (11 mm) can be affixed. (ANNEX II)

Deadlines and transitional provisions:

  1. The general requirement standards for Household and Similar Electrical Appliances ABNT NBR NM 60335-1:2010 and IEC 60335-1:2006 (Ed. 4.2) can be used until 31 December 2024 (3.2)
  2. The certificates already issued are still valid; they should only be revised in the next assessment stage according to Ordinance No. 148 (Art 10)
  3. For certifications issued based on Ordinance No. 371, the next certification of conformity must be valid for 6 years (Art 11)
  4. For products certified before 2 May 2022, the Conformity Identification Seal must be affixed to the product before 2 May 2027 (Art 12)
  5. For products certified before 2 May 2022, Conformity Identification Seal must be affixed to the package before 2 May 2025 (Art 13)
For More Information About This Story:
Contact: Vincent Wong (Technical Consultant for E&E)
Phone: (852) 3185 8000
Email: regulatoryupdates@qima.com

OCEANIA NEWS

Australia: The Australia Competition and Consumer Commission Proposes New Mandatory Standard to Address Hazards with Toppling Furniture

On 13 May 2022, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission published the furniture toppling consultation paper on the assessment of regulatory options.
The consultation closed on 13 June 2022.

View Story Read More

As outlined in the consultation paper addressing a Mandatory Standard for Toppling Furniture, freestanding storage furniture such as chests of drawers, cupboards, wardrobes, storage units, bookshelves, and entertainment units, pose the greatest risk of toppling over resulting in injury or death. The risk of tip over events is most likely to occur when children attempt to climb furniture, as the weight of a child standing on an open drawer or shelf shifts the center of gravity forward.

The proposed regulatory options in this Consultation Paper published by the Australia Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) will apply to storage furniture such as chests of drawers, cabinets and wardrobes, with a height greater than 50mm, and bookshelves and bookcases with a height greater than 600mm. No minimum height has been set for entertainment units because there is a greater need for stability and anchoring when televisions are placed on top of them.

As directly specified in the Consultation Paper, the ACCC was seeking feedback on the following options, including the likely effectiveness and cost of each:

  1. Status quo, no change
  2. A mandatory safety standard that sets out warning labeling and safety information requirements and requires the provision of an anchoring device
  3. An information standard that sets out warning labeling and safety information requirements to be provided with the product and at the point of sale online and in-store
  4. A mandatory safety standard that sets out warning labeling, safety information and stability requirements, and the provision of an anchoring device; or
  5. A mandatory safety standard and a mandatory information standard. This would take the form of either;
    1. A combination of options 2 and 3, or
    2. A combination of options 3 and 4.
For More Information About This Story:
Contact: Vivian Chan (Technical Consultant)
Phone: (852) 3185 8052
Email: regulatoryupdates@qima.com

Australia Recalls Summary (01 May 2022 to 31 May 2022)

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 May 2022 to 31 May 2022 are summarized below:

View Story Read More

Hazards Frequency
Risk of Allergy 4
Injury Hazard 8
Poisoning Hazard 1
Health Risk Hazard 2
Choking Hazard 4
Suffocation Hazard 2
Chemical Hazard 6
Burn Hazard 2

Product Categories Frequency
Food 3
Electrical Appliances 1
Pharmacy 3
Toys and Childcare Products 4
Bodycare / Cosmetics 6
Footwear 2
Sporting Goods / Equipment 1
Tools and Hardware 2

For a complete list click here


EUROPE NEWS

A New Version of ISO 4531 for Food Contact Vitreous and Porcelain Enamels is Published

The International Organization for Standardization recently published a new version of ISO 4531 for food contact vitreous and porcelain enamels. This new version is effective immediately as it replaces the 2018 version.

View Story Read More

In April 2022, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) published ISO 4531:2022 for testing food contact enamelled articles. This standard specifies a simulating method of testing for determination of, as well as the limits of, the release of metal-ions from enamelled articles, including tanks and vessels which are intended to be used for the preparation, cooking, serving, and storage of food.

The new standard is effective immediately. In comparison to the 2018 version, it has several important updates including the below:

  • The migration limit of aluminum has been strengthened to 5-fold value. The new limit was developed from Regulation (EU) 2016/1416 amending and correcting Regulation (EU) 10/2011 on food contact plastics
  • Three consecutive release tests must be performed on the same day, using the same sample, with a fresh test solution
  • Any relevant information related to measurement uncertainty and any deviation from testing procedures must be included in test reports

The migration limits of sixteen heavy metals are summarized in the below table.

Entry Element (Symbol) Migration limit (ug/L)
1 Aluminum (Al) 1000
2 Silver (Ag) 80
3 Arsenic (As) 2
4 Barium (Ba) 1200
5 Cadmium (Cd) 5
6 Cobalt (Co) 100
7 Chromium (Cr) 250
8 Copper (Cu) 4000
9 Lithium (Li) 480
10 Manganese (Mn) 1800
11 Molybdenum (Mo) 120
12 Nickel (Ni) 140
13 Lead (Pb) 10
14 Antimony (Sb) 40
15 Vanadium (V) 10
16 Zinc (Zn) 5000
For More Information About This Story:
Contact: Alex Hui (Senior Technical Manager)
Phone: (852) 3185 8000
Email: regulatoryupdates@qima.com

Europe Recalls Summary (01 May 2022 to 31 May 2022)

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 May 2022 to 31 May 2022 are summarized below:

View Story Read More
Hazards Frequency
Strangulation Hazard 8
Chemical Hazard 52
Injury Hazard 20
Burn Hazard 10
Electric Shock Hazard 21
Fire Hazard 8
Health Risk Hazard 4
Choking Hazard 11
Microbiological Hazard 5
Environmental Hazard 9
Other Hazards* 8

*Other Hazards include Damage to Sight, Fall Hazard, Drowning Hazard, Suffocation Hazard and Damage to Hearing with a frequency of less than 4.


Product Categories Frequency
Fabric / Textile / Garment / Home Textile 17
Toys and Childcare Products 30
Chemicals 4
Jewelry 8
Electrical Appliances 24
Bodycare / Cosmetics 27
Home Electrical Appliances 4
Protective Equipment 3
Sporting Goods / Equipment 4
Other Categories* 13

*Other Categories include Footwear, Outdoor Living Items, Machinery, Tools and Hardware, Accessories, Car Components and Furniture with a frequency of less than 3.


Notifying Country Frequency
Germany 14
Ireland 10
Finland 5
Romania 24
Hungary 12
Czechia 5
Poland 10
Lithuania 21
Austria 6
Italy 5
Luxembourg 7
Other Countries* 15

*Other Countries include Belgium, France, Sweden, The Netherlands, Estonia, Iceland, Greece, Croatia and Latvia with a frequency of less than 5.


For a complete list click here


ASIA NEWS

China: Product Standard QB/T 4331-2021 for Children’s Athletic Shoes is Updated

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) recently published Children’s Athletic Shoes Product Standard QB/T 4331-2021, replacing previous edition, QB/T 4331-2012. QB/T 4331-2021 was officially implemented on 1 April 2022. 行业标准 - 全国标准信息公共服务平台 (samr.gov.cn)

View Story Read More

Product standard QB/T 4331-2021 is applicable to athletic shoes for infants and children aged ≤14 years old.

The main technical changes (relative to the requirements and/or test methods) in comparison to the previous edition, QB/T 4331-2012, are identified below.

Revisions include, but are not limited to, those for:

  1. Appearance quality
    Overall appearance requirement removed
  2. Peeling strength of upper-sole or sidewall-upper
    Exemption scope expanded
    Requirement for the width of cutting edge during testing added
  3. Abrasion resistance of outsole
    Pretreatment of foamed materials added
  4. Outsole hardness
    Measurement details of different kinds of outsole materials during testing added
  5. Outsole and midsole adhesion strength
    Exemption scope added
  6. Fatigue resistance performance of touch and close fasteners
    No. of repeated opening and closing test cycles during testing reduced
  7. Safety performance
    Requirement and test method removed

Requirements remaining unchanged (no revisions):

  1. Flexing resistance of whole shoe
  2. Colorfastness to rubbing of lining and insock

Important notes:

  1. Updated standard QB/T 4331-2021 has been in effect since 1 April 2022 for products manufactured after this date
  2. For safety performance, children’s products shall comply with the Safety Technical Specifications for Children’s Footwear in the GB 30585 standard
  3. For More Information About This Story:
    Contact: Elaine Tam (Technical Consultant - Textile & Footwear)
    Phone: (852) 3185 8000
    Email: regulatoryupdates@qima.com

China Recalls Summary (01 May 2022 to 31 May 2022)

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 May 2022 to 31 May 2022 are summarized below:

View Story Read More
Hazards Frequency
Fire Hazard 12
Electric Shock Hazard 16
Safety Risk Hazard 6
Chemical Hazard 2
Entanglement Hazard 7
Suffocation Hazard 7
Burn Hazard 3
Swallowing Risk 4
Health Risk Hazard 7
Injury Hazard 7
Fall Hazard 1
Cut Hazard 1

Product Categories Frequency
Home Electrical Appliances 22
Fabric / Textile / Garment / Home Textile 10
Toys and Childcare Products 4
Protective Equipment 4
Stationery 1
Sporting Goods / Equipment 3
Furniture 4
Food Contact Material 2
Tools and Hardware 1

Provinces Frequency
Jiangsu 8
Guangdong 2
Shandong 13
Fujian 2
Anhui 11
Hunan 5
Jiangxi 3
Guangxi 1
Hubei 2
Beijing 2
Tianjin 2

For a complete list click here


JUNE CONTRIBUTORS

Vivian Chan

Vincent Wong

Alex Hui

Elaine Tam

View the complete regulatory update
Need More Information?

We'll respond within 24 hours.

Checking...
Checking...
Checking...
Checking...
Checking...
Checking...
Checking...
Checking...
Checking...
Checking...
Checking...
Checking...
Checking...
Checking...

By contacting QIMA you agree to our privacy policy and terms and conditions

Subscribe to our Regulatory Updates

Receive a monthly update on product safety standards news.

 
Receive supply chain insights and updates from QIMA. You can always unsubscribe and manage your email preferences later.

By contacting QIMA you agree to our privacy policy and terms and conditions

Contact Us By Phone
Phone

Contact a local office


For any questions you may have:
+1 888 264 8988