Changes on PAHs of German GS requirements

The Committee on Product Safety (AFPs) has issued the requirements of testing for PAHs for the GS-Mark Certification on August 4, 2014. GS certified products such as household appliances, sports goods, office electronic equipments, audio-visual equipments, test and measurement equipments and other security-related products will be affected.

 

The core changes to the new requirements including:
1. The second and third categories of products in accordance with the toy standard 2009/48 / EC were divided into two groups (the range of toys in 2009/48 / EC  and other products), and were given the limits;
2. ZEK 01.4-08 only provides limits of sum of 18 kinds PAHs and  benzo(a)pyren (see Table 2). The new requirements increased 10 kinds of PAHs limits including benzo(e)pyren, benzo(a)anthracen, benzo(b)fluoranthen and others, as well as sum of seven kinds of PAHs limits including acenaphthylen, acenaphthen, fluoren, phenanthren, pyren, anthracen, fluoranthen (see Table 1);
3. The new requirements set more strict limits for benzo(a)pyren in the second  and third categories of products;
4. New limits for the sum of 18 kinds of PAHs became more strict limits in the second and third categories, but it reduced the requirements in the first category.

 

Transitional arrangements / Deadlines:                          

1. New requirements will be mandatory applicable from July 1, 2015. The document ZEK 01.4-08 will be invalid from 30 June 2015.

2. Mandatory application of GS-Mark Certification take effect from 1 July 2015.

3. Existing GS-Mark Certification before 1 July 2015 retain their validity but with control measures for monitoring to confirm its compliance.

 

Table 1  Limits for PAHs in the new requirements

Parameter	Category 1	Category 2		Category 3
	Materials intended to be put in the mouth, or materials of toy with intended to long-term skin contact(longer than 30 seconds)	Materials not covered by Category 1, with foreseeable skin contact for longer than 30 seconds (long-term skin contact) or repeated short-term skin contact*		Materials not covered by category 1 or 2 with foreseeable skin contact up to 30 second(short term skin contact)
		Toys in the scope of 2009/48/EC	Other products in the scope	Toys in the scope of 2009/48/EC	Other products in the scope
BENZO(a)PYREN mg/kg	< 0.2	< 0.2	< 0.5	< 0.5	< 1
BENZO(e)PYREN mg/kg	< 0.2	< 0.2	< 0.5	< 0.5	< 1
BENZO(a)ANTHRACEN mg/kg	< 0.2	< 0.2	< 0.5	< 0.5	< 1
BENZO(b)FLUORANTHEN mg/kg	< 0.2	< 0.2	< 0.5	< 0.5	< 1
BENZO(j)FLUORANTHEN                      mg/kg	< 0.2	< 0.2	< 0.5	< 0.5	< 1
BENZO(k)FLUORANTHEN                     mg/kg	< 0.2	< 0.2	< 0.5	< 0.5	< 1
CHRYSEN mg/kg	< 0.2	< 0.2	< 0.5	< 0.5	< 1
DIBENZO(a,h)ANTHRACEN                     mg/kg	< 0.2	< 0.2	< 0.5	< 0.5	< 1
BENZO(g,h,i)PERYLEN mg/kg	< 0.2	< 0.2	< 0.5	< 0.5	< 1
INDENO(l,2,3-cd)PYREN                     mg/kg	< 0.2	< 0.2	< 0.5	< 0.5	< 1
ACENAPHTHYLEN, ACENAPHTHEN, FLUOREN, PHENANTHREN, PYREN, ANTHRACEN, FLUORANTHEN, mg/kg	< 1 SUM	< 5 SUM	< 10 SUM	< 20 SUM	< 50 SUM
NAPHTHALEN mg/kg	< 1	< 2		< 10
Sum of 18 PAHs mg/kg	< 1	< 5	< 10	< 20	< 50