July 2022

في 24 يونيو 2022، نشرت CPSC قاعدة نهائية لمعيار السلامة 16 CFR 1234 لأحواض استحمام الرضع والتي تتضمن بالإشارة إلى معيار سلامة المستهلك ASTM F2670-22 لأحواض استحمام الرضع. ستدخل القاعدة حيز التنفيذ في 24 سبتمبر 2022.

في 28 مارس 2022، أخطرت ASTM لجنة حماية صحة الطفل CPSC بأنها قامت مرة أخرى بمراجعة المعيار الطوعي لأحواض استحمام الرضع، وذلك بالموافقة على ASTM F2670-22 في 1 مارس 2022. استنادًا إلى مراجعة موظفي CPSC للمعيار ASTM F2670-22، ستسمح اللجنة بأن يصبح المعيار الطوعي المنقح هو المعيار الإلزامي.

تحدد المواصفة القياسية ASTM F2670 متطلبات الأداء وطرق الاختبار ومتطلبات وضع الملصقات لتعزيز الاستخدام الآمن لأحواض استحمام الرضع.

تتضمن ASTM F2670-22 مراجعات جوهرية ومراجعات غير جوهرية.

تشمل التنقيحات الجوهرية ما يلي:

• إعادة تسمية القسم الفرعي "مقاومة الانهيار" إلى "آلية (آليات) الإغلاق والقفل" ومراجعة الملاحظة 1. ولتحسين السلامة، تتطلب المواصفة القياسية أن تكون "أحواض استحمام الرضع القابلة للطي أو ملحقات أحواض استحمام الرضع مزودة بآليات قفل وإغلاق أو "وسائل أخرى" لمنع المنتج من الطي أو الانهيار".

• إضافة متطلبات وضع علامات محددة للمنتجات التي تعمل بالبطاريات.

• تحديد أن المطبوعات الإرشادية تتضمن بيانات تحذيرية وتحذيرية خاصة بالمنتجات التي تعمل بالبطاريات.

تتضمن المراجعات غير الجوهرية تعديلات مثل: المسافات والتنسيق؛ اللغة في المقدمة؛ إزالة قانون تحسين سلامة المنتجات الاستهلاكية (CPSIA) من قائمة الوثائق المرجعية الخاصة به، إلخ.

The state of Colorado introduced a law which restricts Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl substances in various consumer products. The prohibition will become effective starting January 2024.

On 3 June 2022, Colorado State’s Governor signed bill HB 22-1345 into law. This bill, known as the Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Chemicals Consumer Protection Act, aims at protecting humans and the environment from the exposure of Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS) chemicals. The earliest restriction date for certain products will begin 1 January 2024.“PFAS chemicals” means a class of fluorinated organic chemicals containing at least one fully fluorinated carbon atom (CRS 25-5-1302).The new law prohibits PFAS to be intentionally added to various consumer products such as carpet and rugs, juvenile products, food packaging, furniture and cosmetics. For cookware, labelling is required if PFAS is intentionally added. The law also includes special requirements for firefighting foam containing PFAS. Details of the requirements and effective dates are listed in the below table.

Table 1. Summary of several important updates of new law HB 22-1345

On 19 May 2022, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued decisions on the use of certain phthalates in food contact materials.

On 19 May 2022, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a rule to amend its food additive regulations (Indirect Food Additives: Adhesives and Components of Coatings; Paper and Paperboard Components; Polymers; Adjuvants, Production Aids, and Sanitizers) in order to update the regulations as they relate to the use of certain phthalates in food contact materials.

Because previously authorized phthalates are no longer used as food additives due to abandonment by the industry, the FDA revoked authorizations of twenty-three phthalates and two other substances for food contact use.

Table 1: Phthalates affected by this final rule

In addition, under these regulations, the FDA determined diallyl phthalate (CAS no. 131-17-9) to be authorized only as a monomer in the manufacture of food contact polymers and not as a plasticizer.

Canada amended the Surface Coating Materials Regulations and other regulations under the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act (CCPSA) that addressed requirements for applied coating materials. Amendments will become effective on 19 December 2022 which is 180 days after the publication in the Canada Gazette Part II.

On 22 June 2022, Canada published Regulations Amending Certain Regulations Made Under the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act (Surface Coating Materials), SOR/2022-122 (the Regulation). The focus was to update the requirements for surface coating materials across regulations under the CCPSA for consistency and to close gaps in the regulatory framework that made it difficult for Health Canada to take quick enforcement action, where applicable. The six regulations affected are as follows:

1. Surface Coating Materials Regulation (SOR/2016-193)

2. Expansion Gates and Expandable Enclosures Regulations (SOR/2016-179)

3. Cribs, Cradles and Bassinets Regulations (SOR/2016-152)

4. Playpens Regulations (SOR/2018-186)

5. Toys Regulations (SOR/2011-17)

6. Carriages and Strollers Regulations (SOR/2016-167) – its chemical requirements refer to the Toys Regulations

The Surface Coating Material Regulations restrict lead and mercury content in surface coating materials while other regulations restrict additional certain other harmful heavy metal elements in applied surface coating materials. Please note the phrase “surface coating materials” refers to the material that is yet to be applied (i.e., raw paint form) while “applied surface coating materials” in other regulations refers to already applied coatings (i.e., the solid post-application film). In particular, the migration test method for certain other harmful heavy metal elements has been removed. The Regulation allows parties to select from the common test methods in the industry for adoption such as those referenced in ASTM F963, EN 71-3 or ISO 8124-3 for migration of certain elements.

The updates of Surface Coating Material Regulations are summarized as below:

• Definition of “surface coating materials” is amended. The term “dries to a solid film” is changed to “forms a solid film”. Solid film means the one can be removed from the surface

• New definition of “accessible part” is added. Only the accessible parts are within the scope. This is defined as “any parts that may be touched, licked, mouthed or swallowed during the reasonably foreseeable use of the products”

• Defined “coating materials” to include stickers, films or other similar coating materials such as powder coatings that are applied electrostatically

• Furniture has been newly added to the product list for applied coating material; not just limited to children’s furniture

For the updated requirements in the other regulations, please refer to the below table.

Table 1. Summary of requirements after the regulation updates

On 22 June 2022, Canada published Regulations to prohibit certain single-use plastics.

On 22 June 2022, Canada published the Single-use Plastics Prohibition Regulations: SOR/2022-138 to prohibit certain single-use plastics. The regulations prohibit the manufacture, import, and sale of the following six categories of Single-Use Plastics (SUPs).

• Checkout bag, also known as shopping bag, grocery bag, or carryout bag. It’s designed for carrying purchased goods, typically given to a customer at the retail point of sale.

• Cutlery, including knives, forks, spoons, sporks and chopsticks.

• Foodservice ware made from or containing problematic plastics. This category includes containers, boxes, cups, plates and bowls used for serving or transporting prepared food or beverages. And the problematic plastics refer to extruded or expanded polystyrene foam, polyvinyl chloride, oxo-degradable plastics, or plastics contain “carbon black” additives.

• Ring carriers. This category includes deformable bands that are placed on beverage containers to package them for transport.

• Stir sticks. They are designed to stir or mix drinks, or to stop a drink from spilling out of a lid.

• Straws, including drinking straws, flexible straws.

Timelines for the prohibition are indicated in below Table:

In support of the Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016 (S.I. 2016/1101), there have been proposed amendments to the references to standards listed in Annex I of notice 0058/22 in comparison to Annex I of notice 0009 / 21 and proposed amendments to the references to standards listed in Annex II of notice 0058/22 in comparison to Annex II of notice 0009 / 21. The amendment was published on 8 July 2022 and the implementation was effective immediately following.

Amendments to References to Standards for Electrical Equipment Designed for Use Within Certain Voltage Limits in Support of the Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016 (S.I. 2016/1101) have been proposed in the United Kingdom.

1. The list of published standards in part 1 of Annex I to notice 0009/21 is proposed to be amended as follows: (a) Remove EN 50178: 1997 from Annex I to notice 0009/21 (b) Standards EN 60335-2-17:2013 + A11:2019 as amended by EN 60335-2-17:2013/A1:2020; EN 60335-2-85:2003 + A1: 2008 + A11:2018 as amended by EN 60335-2-85:2003/A2:2020; EN 60947-5-1:2017 as amended EN 60947-5-1:2017/AC:2020-05; (c) Added EN IEC 61010-2-010:2020; EN IEC 61010-2-081:2020; EN IEC 61293:2020; EN 60335-2-27:2013 + A1: 2020 + A2: 2020; EN 60335-2-3:2016 + A1:2020; EN 60335-2-30:2009 + A11:2012 + AC: 2010 + AC: 2014 + A1: 2020 + A12: 2020; EN 60335-2-6:2015 + A11: 2020 + A1: 2020 Part 2 of Annex I sets out the complete list of references of standards which have been published.

2. The list of standards for removal from publication, as set out in part 1 of Annex II to notice 0009/21, is proposed to be amended as follows: (a) Remove row 1 to 81 (b) Added removal date of reference of standard: EN 60335-2-17: 2013 + A11：2019; EN 60335-2-85:2003 + A1:2008 + A11: 2018; EN 61010-2-081:2015; EN 60335-2-3:2016; EN 61010-2-010:2014; EN 61293:1994; EN 60335-2-27:2013; EN 60335-2-30:2009 + A11:2012 + AC: 2010 + AC: 2014; EN 60335-2-6:2015 Part 2 of Annex II sets out the complete list of references of standards which, at the date of this notice, are due to be removed from publication.

On 20 April 2022, the European Committee for Standardization (CEN) announced a new version of the EN1888-1:2018+A1:2022 standard. The standard will be effective after 31 October 2022.

The EN 1888-1 standard, Child care articles - Wheeled child conveyances - Part 1: Pushchairs and prams specifies the safety requirements and test methods for pushchairs and prams designed for the carriage of one or more children up to 15 kg each and up to 20 kg for any integrated platform on which a child can stand.

The amendment includes,

1. New additions

   1. Clause 5.2.3 – added new equipment “small head probe”

   2. Clause 6 – specified product components which need to comply to EN71-3

   3. Clause 8.3.5.1.1.3 - added note 2 “The removal of a child is not considered as an operating action”

   4. Clause 8.4 – Restructured this clause by dividing the subclauses of the requirement and test method of “Hazards from free lengths” and “Hazards from loops”

   5. Clause 8.10.3 – Added guidance for the handle adjustment and orientation when performing testing

2. Modification

   1. Clause 8.5.2.3 – stage 1 of the bite test has been modified

3. Deletion

   1. Clause 8.9.3 – stability hazards due to the position of swiveling wheels has been removed

4. Editorial updates, such as definitions improved, clarified/added information in clause 10, etc.

The European Chemical Agency (ECHA) added one new SVHC to the Candidate List on 10 June 2022 for a total of 224 entries.

On 10 June 2022, the European Chemical Agency (ECHA) launched the 27th update of the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) candidate list. One new Substance of Very High Concern (SVHC) was added. This brings the total to 224 entries of SVHC.

In March 2022, ECHA launched its public consultation on the listed chemical - N-(hydroxymethyl)acrylamide as one of the potential SVHC. This chemical is now identified and approved as an SVHC and thus included in the REACH candidate list.

The details of the new SVHC substance are listed as below:

The European Committee for Standardization (Comité Européen de Normalisation, CEN) has published the amendment to EN 71-13:2021 for olfactory board games, cosmetic kits and gustative games. It superseded EN 71-13:2021/prA1 and EN 71-13:2021.

On 4 May 2022, the CEN published EN 71-13:2021+A1:2022 for olfactory board games, cosmetic kits, gustative games and supplementary sets. As directly outlined in the scope, the standard specifies the requirements on the use of substances and mixtures and in some cases on their amount and concentration in olfactory board games, cosmetic kits, gustative games and supplementary sets to such games or kits. This standard also stipulates allergenic fragrances which are prohibited in toys, marking requirements in particular regarding allergenic fragrances), and requirements on contents list. Additionally, the standard includes instructions for use, the equipment intended to be used during the activity and the use of highly flammable liquids. This standard does not apply to cosmetic toys such as play cosmetics for dolls.

According to this published standard, it will be given the status of a national standard by November 2022 and conflicting national standards are to be withdrawn by this date, at the very latest. This European Standard (EN) is expected to be harmonized under the Toy Safety Directive upon official acceptance by the European Commission (EC) and by publication in the Official Journal of the EU (OJEU).The details of the effective dates are listed below:

The major changes in EN 71-13:2021+A1:2022 are summarized below:

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 4546-2021, replacing previous edition, QB/T 4546-2013. QB/T 4546-2021 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)

This product standard is applicable to leather sandals 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 4546-2013, are identified below.

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

1. Appearance quality -Requirement updated

2. Odour, Thickness of upper strap, Tensile strength test of small parts, -Restricted substances, Physical safety performance -Requirement removed

3. Flexing resistance, Peeling strength -Requirement updated -Exemption criteria updated

4. Abrasion resistance, Outsole hardness -Requirement updated -Test condition updated

5. Upper band pull-out strength -Requirement updated -Test method updated

6. Shanks for footwear -Shank labeling requirements removed -Exemption criteria updated

7. Discoloration (Yellowing), Outsole and midsole adhesion strength, After-sale quality judgment for children’s leather sandals -Requirements newly added

Requirements remaining unchanged (no revisions):

1. Flexing index of fiberboard

2. Color fastness to rubbing of lining and insock

Important notes:

1. Updated standard QB/T 4546-2021 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