Regulatory tightening over time
This timeline is the historical view of every dated regulation the Heavy Metal Index tracks. Read top-to-bottom for the trajectory of the regulatory floor: which limits came in when, which superseded what, where international and EU framings drift apart from US framings.
The page is auto-regenerated on every build from the effective_date frontmatter on each regulation page. Edits by hand are overwritten on the next prebuild.
Headline trajectory
The index carries 40 dated regulations. Earliest in the timeline: 1984-11-06 (FDA CPG Sec. 540.600 Fish, Shellfish, Crustaceans and other Aquatic Animals — Methyl Mercury, FDA). Most recent: 2025-01-01 (washington-tfca-toothpaste-pb-1000ppb, Washington State Department of Ecology). By decade: 1980s: 2 · 1990s: 5 · 2000s: 10 · 2010s: 13 · 2020s: 10.
Chronology by decade
1980s
| Effective | Title | Jurisdiction | Agency | Metals | Limit | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984-11-06 | FDA CPG Sec. 540.600 Fish, Shellfish, Crustaceans and other Aquatic Animals — Methyl Mercury | United States (federal) | FDA | Methylmercury | 1 ppm methyl mercury expressed as mercury | active |
| 1989-10-01 | EPA IRIS — Cadmium Oral Reference Doses | United States (federal) | EPA | Cadmium | 1 µg/kg-bw/day-food | in-force |
1990s
| Effective | Title | Jurisdiction | Agency | Metals | Limit | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995-01-01 | Codex CXS 193-1995 - Tin maximum levels for canned foods | International (Codex / JECFA / WHO) | Codex Alimentarius Commission | Tin | multiple mg/kg | active |
| 1995-04-02 | Norma Oficial Mexicana NOM-027-SSA1-1993, Productos de la pesca: pescados frescos-refrigerados y congelados | Mexico | Secretaria de Salud | Cadmium, Total mercury, Methylmercury, Lead | multiple mg/kg | superseded |
| 1995-04-02 | Norma Oficial Mexicana NOM-028-SSA1-1993, Productos de la pesca: pescados en conserva | Mexico | Secretaria de Salud | Cadmium, Total mercury, Methylmercury, Lead, Tin | multiple mg/kg | superseded |
| 1995-05-01 | EPA IRIS — Mercuric Chloride Oral Reference Dose | United States (federal) | EPA | Inorganic mercury | 0.3 µg/kg-bw/day | in-force |
| 1997-05-01 | California Proposition 65 — Cadmium Listing and Maximum Allowable Daily Level | United States — California | OEHHA | Cadmium | 4.1 µg/day-oral | in-force |
2000s
| Effective | Title | Jurisdiction | Agency | Metals | Limit | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001-07-27 | EPA IRIS — Methylmercury Oral Reference Dose | United States (federal) | EPA | Methylmercury | 0.1 µg/kg-bw/day | in-force |
| 2002-04-05 | 2001 setting maximum levels for certain contaminants in foodstuffs | European Union | European Commission | Lead, Cadmium, Total mercury | multiple mg/kg | superseded |
| 2003-06-01 | week) | International (Codex / JECFA / WHO) | JECFA | Methylmercury | 1.6 µg/kg-bw/week | in-force |
| 2004-07-08 | EPA IRIS — Lead, Oral RfD and Carcinogenicity Assessment | United States (federal) | EPA | Lead | not-derived | qualitative-only |
| 2006-01-23 | EPA — Maximum Contaminant Level for Arsenic in Drinking Water | United States (federal) | EPA | Inorganic arsenic | 10 ppb | in-force |
| 2007-03-01 | 2006 setting maximum levels for certain contaminants in foodstuffs | European Union | European Commission | Lead, Cadmium, Total mercury, Methylmercury, Inorganic arsenic, Tin | — | superseded |
| 2008-05-22 | week) | European Union | EFSA | Aluminium | 1 mg/kg-bw/week | in-force |
| 2008-09-01 | ATSDR — Minimal Risk Levels for Aluminum | United States (federal) | ATSDR | Aluminium | 1 mg/kg-bw/day | in-force |
| 2009-01-30 | week | European Union | EFSA | Cadmium | 2.5 µg/kg-bw/week | in-force |
| 2009-10-01 | EFSA — Arsenic in Food (2009), No-PTWI Position | European Union | EFSA | Inorganic arsenic | BMDL01 | in-force-no-threshold |
2010s
| Effective | Title | Jurisdiction | Agency | Metals | Limit | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010-03-18 | EFSA — Lead in Food (2010), No-Threshold Position | European Union | EFSA | Lead | µg/kg-bw/day-BMDL | in-force-no-threshold |
| 2010-06-01 | month | International (Codex / JECFA / WHO) | JECFA | Cadmium | 25 µg/kg-bw/month | in-force |
| 2010-06-01 | JECFA — Lead Provisional Tolerable Weekly Intake (Withdrawn 2010) | International (Codex / JECFA / WHO) | JECFA | Lead | µg/kg-bw/week | withdrawn |
| 2011-05-10 | Norma Oficial Mexicana NOM-242-SSA1-2009, Productos de la pesca frescos, refrigerados, congelados y procesados | Mexico | Secretaria de Salud | Total arsenic, Cadmium, Methylmercury, Lead, Tin | multiple mg/kg | active |
| 2012-09-01 | ATSDR — Minimal Risk Levels for Cadmium | United States (federal) | ATSDR | Cadmium | 0.1 µg/kg-bw/day | in-force |
| 2012-12-01 | week) | European Union | EFSA | Inorganic mercury | 4 µg/kg-bw/week | in-force |
| 2012-12-01 | week) | European Union | EFSA | Methylmercury | 1.3 µg/kg-bw/week | in-force |
| 2013-01-29 | ecuador-nte-inen-184-2013-canned-tuna | Ecuador | Instituto Ecuatoriano de Normalización | Total mercury | 1 mg/kg total mercury as Hg | active |
| 2013-06-01 | china-gb-2762-2012-contaminants-superseded | China | Ministry of Health | Lead, Cadmium, Total mercury, Methylmercury, Total arsenic, Inorganic arsenic, Tin, Nickel, Chromium | multiple mg/kg; food-specific maximum levels | superseded |
| 2016-01-01 | eu-2015-1006-iAs-rice | European Union | European Commission | Inorganic arsenic | 0.2,0.25,0.3,0.1 mg/kg wet weight | superseded |
| 2016-03-01 | Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code - Schedule 19 - Maximum levels of contaminants and natural toxicants | Australia, New Zealand | Food Standards Australia New Zealand | Aluminium, Total arsenic, Inorganic arsenic, Cadmium, Lead, Total mercury, Tin | multiple mg/kg | in-force |
| 2017-09-17 | china-gb-2762-2017-contaminants-superseded | China | National Health and Family Planning Commission; China Food and Drug Administration | Lead, Cadmium, Total mercury, Methylmercury, Total arsenic, Inorganic arsenic, Tin, Nickel, Chromium | multiple mg/kg; food-specific maximum levels | superseded |
| 2018-02-07 | eu-reg-2018-73-mercury-compounds-mrls | European Union | European Commission | Total mercury | 0.01 mg/kg as mercury | finalized |
2020s
| Effective | Title | Jurisdiction | Agency | Metals | Limit | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-08-06 | FDA Closer to Zero — 100 ppb Inorganic Arsenic Action Level for Infant Rice Cereal | United States (federal) | FDA | Inorganic arsenic | 100 ppb | finalized |
| 2020-09-24 | day) | European Union | EFSA | Nickel | 13 µg/kg-bw/day | in-force |
| 2021-04-01 | FDA Closer to Zero — Program Overview | United States (federal) | FDA | Lead, Cadmium, Inorganic arsenic, Total mercury | — | — |
| 2021-08-30 | 1317 - Lead maximum level for cereals and pulses | European Union | European Commission | Lead | 0.2 mg/kg wet weight | superseded |
| 2021-08-31 | 1323 - Cadmium maximum levels for cereals | European Union | European Commission | Cadmium | multiple mg/kg wet weight | superseded |
| 2022-05-03 | eu-reg-2022-617-mercury-fish | European Union | European Commission | Total mercury | 0.3,0.5,1,0.1 mg/kg ww | finalized |
| 2023-06-30 | china-gb-2762-2022-contaminants | China | National Health Commission; State Administration for Market Regulation | Lead, Cadmium, Total mercury, Methylmercury, Total arsenic, Inorganic arsenic, Tin, Nickel, Chromium | multiple mg/kg; food-specific maximum levels | active |
| 2023-11-05 | turkey-food-codex-contaminants-2023-lead-raw-milk | Turkey | Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry | Lead | 0.02 mg/kg wet weight | in-force |
| 2025-01-01 | EPA IRIS — Inorganic Arsenic Toxicological Review (January 2025) | United States (federal) | EPA | Inorganic arsenic | pending-extraction | finalized-2025 |
| 2025-01-01 | washington-tfca-toothpaste-pb-1000ppb | United States — Washington State | Washington State Department of Ecology | Lead | 1000 ppb | enforced |
Undated regulations (ingest gap)
The following regulation pages exist in the index but do not yet carry an effective_date in their frontmatter. They are tracked here so the gap is visible.
| Title | Jurisdiction | Agency | Metals | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California Proposition 65 — Inorganic Arsenic Compounds Listing | United States — California | OEHHA | Inorganic arsenic | in-force |
| California Proposition 65 — Lead and Lead Compounds Listing | United States — California | OEHHA | Lead | in-force |
| Codex Alimentarius — Maximum Levels for Cadmium in Food | International (Codex / JECFA / WHO) | Codex Alimentarius Commission | Cadmium | partial-ingest |
| 915 cadmium maximum levels | European Union | European Commission | Cadmium | maximum levels |
| EU inorganic arsenic maximum level for non-alcoholic rice-based drinks | European Union | European Commission | — | maximum level |
| EC | European Union | European Commission | Nickel | historical-as-described-in-source |
| 915 — Lead Maximum Levels for Infant and Young-Child Foods | European Union | European Commission | Lead | in-force |
| 915 maximum levels for contaminants in food | European Union | European Commission | Lead, Cadmium, Total mercury, Inorganic arsenic, Total arsenic, Tin | maximum levels |
| FDA 2022 Draft — Lead Action Levels for Juice | United States (federal) | FDA | Lead | draft-not-for-implementation |
| FDA 2025 Lead Action Levels for Processed Food Intended for Babies and Young Children | United States (federal) | FDA | Lead | final guidance action level |
| Puddings, Single-Ingredient Meats) | United States (federal) | FDA | Lead | finalized |
| FDA Closer to Zero — 20 ppb Lead Action Level for Dry Infant Cereals | United States (federal) | FDA | Lead | finalized |
| FDA Closer to Zero — 20 ppb Lead Action Level for Single-Ingredient Root Vegetables (Baby Food) | United States (federal) | FDA | Lead | finalized |
| FDA Juice HACCP — 50 ppb Lead Guidance Context for Juice | United States (federal) | FDA | Lead | current-guidance-context |
| JECFA inorganic arsenic BMDL₀.₅ (lower-limit benchmark dose) | International (Codex / JECFA / WHO) | JECFA (FAO/WHO Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives) | Inorganic arsenic | stub |
How to read this surface
A regulation’s appearance in the timeline does not imply endorsement by the Heavy Metal Index. The wiki reports what regulators have published; the Heavy Metal Tested & Certified certification program sets its own thresholds, which can be tighter than the regulatory floor by design. See HMTc separation policy for the rationale.
For the cross-jurisdiction matrix view, see by-jurisdiction.
Page history
This page is auto-regenerated from upstream data on every build. Edits by hand are overwritten on the next prebuild. See the generator named in the page intro for the data source and update cadence; the full commit history lives in git.