March 2024 Regulatory Update
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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.
View Story Read MoreOn 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.
| Substance name | EC number | CAS number | Reason for inclusion |
| Bis(α,α-dimethylbenzyl) peroxide | 201-279-3 | 80-43-3 | Toxic for reproduction (Article 57c) |
| Triphenyl phosphate | 204-112-2 | 115-86-6 | Endocrine disrupting properties [Article 57(f) – environment] |
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:
View Story Read More
| Hazards | Frequency |
| Chemical Hazard | 204 |
| Injury Hazard | 55 |
| Environmental Hazard | 44 |
| Choking Hazard | 42 |
| Electric Shock Hazard | 22 |
| Fire Hazard | 11 |
| Burn Hazard | 8 |
| Other Hazards* | 25 |
*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.
| Product Categories | Frequency |
| Bodycare / Cosmetics | 83 |
| Toys and Childcare Products | 70 |
| Chemicals | 57 |
| Electrical Appliances | 55 |
| Machinery | 23 |
| Fabric / Textile / Garment / Home Textile | 17 |
| Protective Equipment | 10 |
| Accessories | 8 |
| Other Categories* | 32 |
*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.
| Notifying Country | Frequency |
| Italy | 69 |
| Czechia | 49 |
| Sweden | 48 |
| France | 31 |
| Denmark | 24 |
| Germany | 24 |
| Hungary | 22 |
| Poland | 15 |
| Lithuania | 11 |
| Other Countries* | 62 |
*Other Countries include Cyprus, Romania, Finland, Estonia, Ireland, Malta, The Netherlands, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Greece, Norway, Latvia and Slovakia with a frequency of less than 11.
For a complete list click here
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:
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| Hazards | Frequency |
| Burn Hazard | 14 |
| Injury Hazard | 14 |
| Fire Hazard | 12 |
| Risk of Death | 6 |
| Laceration Hazard | 4 |
| Crash Hazard | 3 |
| Swallowing Risk | 3 |
| Electric Shock Hazard | 3 |
| Other Hazards* | 18 |
*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.
| Product Categories | Frequency |
| Fabric / Textile / Garment / Home Textile | 9 |
| Sporting Goods / Equipment | 6 |
| Home Electrical Appliances | 6 |
| Electrical Appliances | 5 |
| Protective Equipment | 5 |
| Toys and Childcare Products | 3 |
| Food Contact Material | 2 |
| Other Categories* | 9 |
*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.
For a complete list click here
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:
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| Hazards | Frequency |
| Burn Hazard | 19 |
| Fire Hazard | 14 |
| Fall Hazard | 7 |
| Risk of Death | 5 |
| Electric Shock Hazard | 5 |
| Choking Hazard | 5 |
| Other Hazards* | 16 |
*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.
| Product Categories | Frequency |
| Electrical Appliances | 7 |
| Toys and Childcare Products | 5 |
| Home Electrical Appliances | 5 |
| Sporting Goods / Equipment | 3 |
| Household Items | 2 |
| Fabric / Textile / Garment / Home Textile | 1 |
| Protective Equipment | 1 |
| Machinery | 1 |
| Food Contact Material | 1 |
For a complete list click here
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 2024 are summarized below:
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| Hazards | Frequency |
| Risk of Death | 11 |
| Choking Hazard | 11 |
| Injury Hazard | 9 |
| Swallowing Risk | 7 |
| Suffocation Hazard | 5 |
| Burn Hazard | 3 |
| Fire Hazard | 1 |
| Health Risk Hazard | 1 |
| Strangulation Hazard | 1 |
| Product Categories | Frequency |
| Toys and Childcare Products | 5 |
| Computer / Audio / Video / Other Electronics & Accessories | 3 |
| Home Electrical Appliances | 2 |
| Car Accessories | 2 |
| Food Contact Material | 1 |
| Accessories | 1 |
For a complete list click here
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.
View Story Read MoreOn 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:
| GB/T Standard # | GB/T Standard Name | Corresponding IEC Standard # |
| GB/T 39560.1-2020 | Determination of certain substances in electrical and electronic products - Part 1: Introduction and overview | IEC 62321-1:2013 |
| GB/T 39560.2-2020 | Determination of certain substances in electrical and electronic products - Part 2: Disassembly, disjointment and mechanical sample preparation | IEC 62321-2:2013 |
| GB/T 39560.301-2020 | Determination of certain substances in electrical and electronic products - Part 3-1: Screening lead, mercury, cadmium, total chromium and total bromine by X-ray fluorescence spectrometry | IEC 62321-3-1:2013 |
| GB/T 39560.4-2021 | Determination of certain substances in electrical and electronic products - Part 4: Mercury in polymers, metals and electronics by CV-AAS, CV-AFS, ICP-OES and ICP-MS | IEC 62321-4:2013 |
| GB/T 39560.5-2021 | Determination of certain substances in electrical and electronic products - Part 5: Cadmium, lead and chromium in polymers and electronics and cadmium and lead in metals by AAS, AFS, ICP-OES and ICP-MS | IEC 62321-5:2013 |
| GB/T 39560.6-2020 | Determination of certain substances in electrical and electronic products - Part 6: Polybrominated biphenyls and polybrominated diphenyl ethers in polymers by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) | IEC 62321-6:2015 |
| GB/T 39560.701-2020 | Determination of certain substances in electrical and electronic products - Part 7-1: Hexavalent chromium - Presence of hexavalent chromium [Cr(VI)] in colorless and colored corrosion-protected coatings on metals by the colorimetric method | IEC 62321-7-1:2015 |
| GB/T 39560.702-2021 | Determination of certain substances in electrical and electronic products - Part 7-2: Hexavalent chrome - Determination of hexavalent chrome [Cr(VI)] in polymers and electronics by the colorimetric method | IEC 62321-7-2:2015 |
In addition, with reference to the announcement, the updated requirements are implemented as below:
| Date | Corresponding action(s) |
| From 1 March, 2024 | Testing methods for conducting conformity assessment activities for the restricted use of hazardous substances (RoHS) will be implemented in accordance with GB/T 39560 series of standards |
| Before 1 March, 2024 | If the conformity assessment is completed with reference GB/T 26125, the standard conversion (to GB/T 39560 series) will be completed through normal transition methods, such as expiration of certificate renewal or product change |
| If products have been shipped / imported to China before 1 March, 2024, these products do not require to undergo standard conversion (to GB/T 39560 series) |
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 2024 are summarized below:
View Story Read More
| Hazards | Frequency |
| Electric Shock Hazard | 5 |
| Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Hazard | 4 |
| Safety Risk Hazard | 3 |
| Fire Hazard | 3 |
| Chemical Hazard | 3 |
| Swallowing Risk | 2 |
| Risk of Exposure to Combustion Flue Gas | 2 |
| Health Risk Hazard | 2 |
| Other Hazards* | 6 |
*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.
| Product Categories | Frequency |
| Household Items | 6 |
| Home Electrical Appliances | 4 |
| Fabric / Textile / Garment / Home Textile | 4 |
| Electrical Appliances | 3 |
| Footwear | 3 |
| Sporting Goods / Equipment | 2 |
| Other Categories* | 6 |
*Other Categories include Toys and Childcare Products, Food Contact Material, Furniture, Chemicals, Stationery and Protective Equipment with a frequency of less than 2.
| Provinces | Frequency |
| Guangdong | 14 |
| Shanghai | 6 |
| Henan | 2 |
| Hunan | 2 |
| Fujian | 2 |
| Tianjin | 1 |
| Zhejiang | 1 |
For a complete list click here
