April 2024

Regulatory UpdatesApril 2024April 2024Clear searchAll RegionsNorth AmericaEuropeChinaAustralia/New ZealandInternationalNorth America NewsUSA: State of Washington: Second Substitute House Bill (HB) 1551 (Chapter 340), an Act Relating to Reducing Lead in CookwareHB 1551, was enacted by the state of Washington on 28 March 2024 as a measure to reduce lead in cookware.On 28 March 2024, House Bill 1551 was signed into law by the governor of Washington State. This law effectively targets a reduction of lead in cookware and re-enacts and amends RCW 43.21B.110 (pollution control hearings board jurisdiction) and RCW 43.21B.300 (penalty procedures), adding a new chapter to Title 70A RCW (Environmental Health and Safety).Highlights are listed below:Restricts the manufacture, distribution, and sale of cookware containing lead at a level exceeding 5 parts per million (ppm) in the cookware or any component of the cookware. The restriction is effective from 01 January 2026. Authorizes the Department of Ecology (Ecology), after December 2034, in consultation with the Department of Health, to lower the 5 ppm limit if determined to be feasible for manufacturers to achieve and necessary to protect human health.Authorizes Ecology to adopt rules and prescribes penalties for violations of up to $5,000 for an initial violation and $10,000 for subsequent violations. Substance Scope Requirement Effective date Lead Cookware¹ and cookware components² ≤ 5 ppm 1-Jan-26 ¹Cookware means any metal bakeware, pans, pots, rice cookers, pressure cookers and other containers and devices intended for the preparation or storage of food. ²Component includes separate and distinct parts of the cookware, including, but not limited to, accessories such as fasteners, handles and handle assemblies, knobs, lids, rivets, valves and vent pipes.Manufacturers and distributors of cookware / cookware components should begin advance preparations, as needed, to ensure compliance with this requirement.Read MoreUnited States (US) Recalls Summary (01 March 2024 to 31 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 March 2024 to 31 March 2024 are summarized below: Hazards Frequency Fire Hazard 5 Ingestion Hazard 4 Risk of Death 4 Burn Hazard 4 Laceration Hazard 3 Injury Hazard 2 Suffocation Hazard 2 Fall Hazard 2 Choking Hazard 2 Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Hazard 2 Other Hazards* 5 *Other Hazards include Health Risk Hazard, Risk of Allergy, Electric Shock Hazard, Poisoning Hazard and Tip-Over Hazard with a frequency of less than 2. Product Categories Frequency Toys and Childcare Products 5 Electrical Appliances 4 Fabric / Textile / Garment / Home Textile 4 Jewelry 2 Food Contact Material 2 Sporting Goods / Equipment 2 Home Electrical Appliances 2 Other Categories* 3 *Other Categories include Household Items, Outdoor Living Items and Chemicals with a frequency of less than 2. Read MoreCanada Recalls Summary (01 March 2024 to 31 March 2024) 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 March 2024 to 31 March 2024 are summarized below: Hazards Frequency Fire Hazard 6 Electric Shock Hazard 5 Risk of Death 2 Burn Hazard 2 Choking Hazard 2 Other Hazards* 5 *Other Hazards include Chemical Hazard, Laceration Hazard, Injury Hazard, Fall Hazard and Strangulation Hazard with a frequency of less than 2. Product Categories Frequency Electrical Appliances 8 Toys and Childcare Products 1 Household Items 1 Bodycare / Cosmetics 1 Home Electrical Appliances 1 Fabric / Textile / Garment / Home Textile 1 Sporting Goods / Equipment 1 Read MoreEurope NewsRecent Update for ECHA on PFHxA in REACH Annex XVIIOn 29 February 2024, the REACH committee meeting of the European Commission saw the EU Member States vote in favor of limiting undecafluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA), its salts and related substances. Originally put forth by the German authorities in 2020, the proposal was subsequently endorsed by the scientific committees of the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) in late 2021.The European Parliament and the Council will review this draft regulation for three months prior to its adoption by the Commission.Highlights of the draft regulation for PFHxA are summarized below. Restricted Product Categories Requirements Proposed Effective Dates(No. of months from the date of entry into force of this Regulation) - Paper and cardboard used as Food Contact Materials (FCM) - Cosmetic products - Mixtures for the general public - Footwear for the general public - Textiles, leather, furs and hides, in clothing and related accessories for the general public < 25 ppb (Sum of PFHxA and its salts) and< 1000 ppb (Sum of PFHxA-related substances) 24 months Textiles, leather, furs and hides, OTHER THAN in clothing and related accessories for the general public < 25 ppb (Sum of PFHxA and its salts) and< 1000 ppb (Sum of PFHxA-related substances) 36 months Firefighting foams and firefighting foam concentrates for training and for testing Firefighting foams and firefighting foam concentrates for public fire services < 25 ppb (Sum of PFHxA and its salts) and< 1000 ppb (Sum of PFHxA-related substances) 18 months Firefighting foams and firefighting foam concentrates for civil aviation < 25 ppb (Sum of PFHxA and its salts) and< 1000 ppb (Sum of PFHxA-related substances) 60 months Manufacturers/distributors of products that fall under the scope of the listed restricted product categories should review the material content of their products to anticipate any necessary changes to ensure compliance should the regulation be adopted. Read MoreEurope Recalls Summary (01 March 2024 to 31 March 2024) 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 March 2024 to 31 March 2024 are summarized below: Hazards Frequency Chemical Hazard 136 Electric Shock Hazard 37 Environmental Hazard 29 Choking Hazard 28 Injury Hazard 28 Burn Hazard 14 Fire Hazard 11 Other Hazards* 17 *Other Hazards include Strangulation Hazard, Damage to Sight, Safety Risk Hazard, Entrapment Hazard, Health Risk Hazard, Suffocation Hazard, Microbiological Hazard and Asphyxiation Hazard with a frequency of less than 11. Product Categories Frequency Bodycare / Cosmetics 96 Toys and Childcare Products 55 Electrical Appliances 47 Chemicals 11 Home Electrical Appliances 8 Jewelry 6 Computer / Audio / Video / Other Electronics & Accessories 6 Furniture 6 Other Categories* 21 *Other Categories include Sporting Goods / Equipment, Machinery, Outdoor Living Items, Protective Equipment, Fabric / Textile / Garment / Home Textile, Household Items, Stationery and Footwear with a frequency of less than 6. Notifying Country Frequency Italy 68 Czechia 31 Hungary 21 France 20 Sweden 19 Poland 19 Germany 15 Ireland 10 Romania 10 Other Countries* 43 *Other Countries include Bulgaria, Lithuania, Estonia, The Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Slovakia, Spain, Latvia, Malta and Croatia with a frequency of less than 10. Read MoreChina NewsChina Recalls Summary (01 March 2024 to 31 March 2024) 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 March 2024 to 31 March 2024are summarized below: Hazards Frequency Safety Risk Hazard 21 Electric Shock Hazard 11 Chemical Hazard 10 Burn Hazard 8 Fire Hazard 8 Injury Hazard 5 Risk of Exposure to Combustion Flue Gas 4 Suffocation Hazard 3 Other Hazards* 15 *Other Hazards include Entanglement Hazard, Fall Hazard, Swallowing Risk, Microbiological Hazard, Damage to Sight, Ingestion Hazard, Health Risk Hazard, Risk of Allergy, Choking Hazard, Laceration Hazard, Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Hazard and Strangulation Hazard with a frequency of less than 3. Product Categories Frequency Home Electrical Appliances 15 Sporting Goods / Equipment 15 Food Contact Material 5 Toys and Childcare Products 5 Tools and Hardware 4 Household Items 4 Fabric / Textile / Garment / Home Textile 4 Other Categories* 7 *Other Categories include Chemicals, Electrical Appliances, Stationery, Furniture and Protective Equipment with a frequency of less than 4. Provinces Frequency Hebei 16 Anhui 11 Shandong 9 Zhejiang 7 Shanghai 6 Beijing 3 Other Provinces* 7 *Other Provinces include Hunan, Fujian, Henan, Jiangsu and Inner Mongolia with a frequency of less than 3.Read MoreAustralia/New Zealand NewsAustralia Recalls Summary (01 March 2024 to 31 March 2024) 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 March 2024 ­to 31 March 2024are summarized below: Hazards Frequency Risk of Death 18 Injury Hazard 13 Burn Hazard 12 Choking Hazard 10 Swallowing Risk 9 Electric Shock Hazard 8 Other Hazards* 12 *Other Hazards include Risk of Allergy, Fire Hazard, Damage to Hearing, Drowning Hazard, Laceration Hazard, Suffocation Hazard and Damage to Sight with a frequency of less than 8. Product Categories Frequency Electrical Appliances 12 Toys and Childcare Products 4 Sporting Goods / Equipment 3 Protective Equipment 3 Bodycare / Cosmetics 3 Other Categories* 7 *Other Categories include Accessories, Medical Devices, Fabric / Textile / Garment / Home Textile, Home Electrical Appliances, Machinery and Computer / Audio / Video / Other Electronics & Accessories with a frequency of less than 3.Read MoreInternational NewsEye and Face Protection Test Standards, ISO 16321 Series and ISO 18527 Series, Have Been PublishedTest standards, ISO 16321 series (eye and face protection for occupational use) and ISO 18527 series (eye and face protection for sports use) were published between 2020 and 2021 with the replaced test standards EN166, EN174 and EN1731 to be withdrawn on 11 November 2024.Test requirements for personal protective equipment (PPE) eyewear products in accordance with EN 166 for safety goggles & welding goggles, EN 174 for ski goggles and EN 1731 for mesh goggles have been published for more than 20 years. Instead of an update on the test requirements and test methods from existing test standards, a series of new test standards were published between 2020 and 2021. Compared with the test standards that are going to be withdrawn on 11 November 2024, more test requirements are listed in these newer test standards. Also of note, there was an additional test standard created and published, ISO 18527-2, which is for eye and face protection specifically for squash, racquetball, and squash 57 activities, to better address eye related safety for these active sports. A summary directly drawn from the European Union (EU) harmonized standards is shown in the Appendix for more details.All eyewear manufacturers should now be familiar with these requirements and should be manufacturing their products to comply with these international standards. These international standards are intended to align national and regional standards to a common set of requirements.Summary of references of harmonized standards published in the Official Journal – Regulation (EU) 2016/4251 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 March 2016 on personal protective equipment and repealing Council Directive 89/686/EEC.Read MoreSubscribe to our Regulatory UpdatesUnsubscribe at any time. Read our privacy policy.