Denmark’s Controversial Ban of Four Phthalates Ahead of EU REACH Schedule

Oct. 5, 2012 - PRLog -- In June 2012, the Danish proposal to ban four phthalates in consumer products was turned down by the European Chemicals Agency’s (ECHA). Denmark has since decided to proceed with the national prohibition of the four phthalates DEHP, DBP, BBP and DIBP in consumer products. Denmark would like to implement this by fall 2012.

In the Danish proposal, DEHP (bis (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate), BBP (benzylbutyl phthalate), DBP (dibutyl phthalate) and DIBP (Diisobutyl phthalate) are restricted in products for indoor use and products that may come into direct contact with the skin or mucous membranes. The proposed limit for each of the four phthalates is no more than 0.1% in any plasticized material.

The overview below summarizes the March 2012 proposal when it was introduced for inclusion in the REACH Regulation. It is yet unclear whether there will be any changes to the final version of the national Danish legislation.
:

Phthalates
DEHP, DBP, BBP, DIBP

Scope
Plasticized material in articles intended for use indoors and articles that may come into direct contact with skin or mucous membranes.

Requirement
≤ 0.1% each phthalate (≤ 1000 mg/kg)

Proposed effective date
12 months from entry into force (publication in Official Gazette ‘Lovtidende’)

By implementing this ban, Denmark may risk legal action from the European Union over the ban of the four phthalates. However, according to the Danish Environment Minister Ida Auken, Denmark has enough supporting evidences to win the case (http://www.euractiv.com/consumers/danish-minister-bans-en...).

Throughout the global network of laboratories, SGS is able to provide a range of services, including analytical testing and consultancy for restricted substances (http://www.sgs.com/en/Consumer-Goods-Retail/Quality-Healt...) for the EU and international markets.

Please do not hesitate to contact the SGS experts for further information.

Contact details:

SGS Consumer Testing Services
Geng Lu
Senior Technical Manager - Hardgoods
SGS-CSTC Standards Technical Service (Shanghai) Co.,Ltd.
The 3rd building, No.889, Yishan Road,
Shanghai, China 200233

t: +86 21 6115 2240
Email: cts.media@sgs.com
Website: http://www.sgs.com/pages/consumer-testing/sgs-consumer-go...

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