Scope
The restriction covers articles supplied to the general public, or accessible parts of such articles, that may during normal or reasonably foreseeable use be placed in the mouth by children. The instrument excludes jewellery already covered by paragraph 1 of REACH entry 63, toys, food-contact materials, RoHS electrical/electronic equipment, and several listed article or material categories.
Exact limit and units
| metal | matrix | limit | unit | basis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lead, expressed as metal | Article or accessible part supplied to the general public and mouthable by children | 0.05 | percent by weight | Concentration in the article or accessible part |
| Lead release | Article or accessible part supplied to the general public and mouthable by children | 0.05 | ug/cm2 per hour | Alternative release demonstration; not converted to ug/kg |
| Lead, expressed as metal | Brass alloy article or part under the derogation | 0.5 | percent by weight | Concentration in the brass alloy |
How tested
The regulation allows the concentration restriction not to apply where the lead release rate from the article or accessible part, whether coated or uncoated, does not exceed 0.05 ug/cm2 per hour and coated articles maintain that release rate for at least two years of normal or reasonably foreseeable use.
Enforcement posture
This is a directly applicable EU regulation amending REACH Annex XVII. It is binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.
History of changes
The regulation was done at Brussels on April 22, 2015 and published in the Official Journal on April 23, 2015. Article 2 states that it enters into force on the twentieth day following publication; paragraph 10 states that paragraph 7 does not apply to articles first placed on the market before June 1, 2016.
How it compares
The primary content threshold is 0.05 percent by weight, equal to 500 mg/kg or 500,000 ug/kg. The brass-alloy derogation is ten times higher at 0.5 percent by weight, while the release-rate path is a surface-flux criterion and is not directly comparable to ug/kg limits.
Sources
Update history
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