Eurofins | Newsflash - January 2018 | Textile and Consumer Products

Switzerland – Electronic Cigarettes

Preliminary Draft Federal Act on Tobacco Products and Electronic Cigarettes

• Requirements for composition and emissions on tobacco products and e-cigarettes containing nicotine (including mandatory Declaration of composition and emissions as per Article 25)
• Packaging, Labeling, Information Sheet and Warning requirements as well as advertisement restrictions
• Safety requirements for refill phials and cartridges containing a liquid with nicotine
• The option,  for the competent authorities, to carry out test purchases (to monitor compliance with the age limit for the supply of these products)
• Obligation of “self-monitoring” for actors placing these products on the market
• Notification of products prior to placement on the market (As specified in Article 23 of this Act: “Anyone manufacturing or importing heated tobacco products, plant-based smoking products or electronic cigarettes containing nicotine must notify these to the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) for the purposes of subsequent monitoring when the product is ready to be placed on the market”). 

The complete draft text can be found here

US

California Proposition 65 Reformulations (December, 2017)

California Proposition 65 is the ‘Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986’, which has been effective for almost 30 years. Due to the implement of California Proposition 65, more and more court cases are settled to reduce the exposure to carcinogenic and toxic for reproduction chemicals by reformulating consumer products containing such chemicals.

Find below some recent settlement agreements:

China - Textile

China New Product Standard – GB/T 33734-2017

This standard is applicable to bedding for infants (for ages not older than 36 months), which are mainly made of woven fabrics and include, but are not limited to, bed sheets, quilt covers, quilts, pillows, pillowcases, cushions, cushion covers, bumpers, mattress covers and  wrappers.

Product quality is controlled on several aspects, including safety performance, physical and chemical properties, appearance quality and technical quality. The safety technical quality covers all safety technical requirements for textile products for infants and toddlers in China, for example, formaldehyde content, tensile strength of accessories, cords and drawstrings, colour fastness to water and other 16 parameters.

For more information on the scope, maximum levels and requirements, the whole standard can be found here (in Chinese).

Brazil 

Proposal to Modify Maximum Limit of Lead in Paints and Similar Surface Coating Materials

The National Chemical Safety Commission (CONASQ), coordinated by the Ministry of the Environment (CGQAR / DQAR / SRHQ), has been working towards the normative improvement and management of chemical substances in Brazil.  CONASQ created a Working Group to discuss, among other attributions, the necessary reforms of the current law on lead in paints and similar surface coating materials ( Law nº 11.762 / 2008 ), with discussions focused on reducing the limit currently in force and revising the list of exceptions.

The Working Group on Lead in Paints has drafted a new law proposal that essentially reviews the actual lead concentration limit of 600 ppm to 90 ppm and that is under public consultation period until January 21, 2018.

This Draft proposal can be found here (in Portuguese).