Business

China Drafts List Of Substances Restricted In Consumer Products

China's National Consumer Product Safety Standardisation Technical Commission has consulted on a draft list of substance restrictions in consumer products. The list combines a number of existing Chinese standards and, where no domestic standard exists, it refers to restrictions based on EU and other foreign legislation. The consultation ended 15 April, but companies can still submit comments via industry associations.

The restricted substances include

i) Heavy metals such as cadmium, chromium VI, lead, mercury and nickel

ii) Phthalates

iii) Certain alkanes and alkenes

iv) Haloalkenes

v) Phenols

vi) Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons;

vii) Aldehydes.

Hazardous substances not restricted under REACH include:

Benzothiazole-2-thiol (MBT). An EU-wide restriction has been recommended for this substance by Germany under the REACH substance evaluation process, Corap;