The Commission of the European Union (EU) has issued regulations temporarily delaying the implementation of more restrictive requirements regarding the use of cadmium in certain plastic materials.
In May 2011, the Commission revised Annex XVII of the EU’s requirements concerning the registration, evaluation, authorization and restriction of chemicals (REACH). Specifically, the revised Annex placed greater restrictions on the use of cadmium as a coloring agent in paints and polymers, as a stabilizer in polyvinyl chloride (PVC), in jewelry, and in brazing sticks and fillers used in jewelry-making.
However, following the adoption of these new requirements, the Commission determined that substitutes for some of the newly restricted plastic materials were not available and that a further assessment of the restrictions was warranted. Therefore, in a Regulation issued in September 2012, the Commission has reverted to the original list of plastic materials restricted under the REACH regulation, pending further review by the European Chemicals Agency.
Read the complete text of the Commission’s regulation regarding cadmium.
