ECHA Found Hazardous Chemicals in Consumer Products

About the Enforcement Project Conducted by ECHA Forum

The ECHA Forum conducted an enforcement project to check compliance with EU chemical regulations for various products sold to consumers or professional users in the European Economic Area (EEA) market. In this enforcement project, it was discovered that hazardous chemicals such as lead and phthalates were present in excessive amounts in the products offered for sale. According to ECHA, 18% of the inspected products violated the relevant EU laws.

As part of the project, national enforcement authorities in twenty-six EU countries examined over 2,400 products, many of which were designed for consumers, and more than 400 of them were found to violate the European Union's chemical laws.

The most common types of products identified as violating these laws included electric devices such as electric toys, chargers, and headphones; sports equipment like yoga mats, balls, or sports gloves; toys such as dolls, play mats, and plastic figures; and fashion products like bags, shoes, and clothing.

During the project, enforcement measures were taken when non-compliant products were identified, leading to the withdrawal of many of these products from the market. Additionally, according to ECHA, the rate of non-compliance is higher in products originating from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) or whose origin is unknown.

This article was originated from ECHA.