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Trade and Industry Department The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
Brand Hong Kong - Asia world city
MY COLOUR

Commercial Information Circulars

24-hour hotline : 23 922 922

e-mail address : enquiry@tid.gov.hk

Ref : EIC 411/2

7 December 2009

Dear Sirs,

Commercial Information Circular No. 608/2009

Argentina : Ban on Phthalates in Toys and Childcare Articles

Traders were informed via Commercial Information Circular No. 36/2009 of 13 January 2009 that the Argentine Government issued a resolution to prohibit the manufacture, import, export and sales of toys and childcare products containing di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), dibutyl phthalate (DBP) or benzyl butyl phthalate (BBP) in concentrations exceeding 0.1%, as well as toys and childcare products which children may put into their mouths containing diisononyl phthalate (DINP), diisodecyl phthalate (DIDP) or dinoctyl phthalate (DnOP) in concentrations exceeding 0.1%. The phthalates ban was originally scheduled to take effect from 11 March 2009.

  1. Recently, the Argentine Government announced that the ban was postponed to 23 October 2009 and made the following clarifications on implementation details:

  1. "toys" are defined as products intended to be used for playing purpose by children younger than 14 years old;

  2. "childcare products" are defined as products designed to facilitate sleep, relaxation, hygiene and feeding of children;

  3. the ban also applies to packaging made with flexible PVC that will be utilised and remain available to children during the useful life of the product;

  4. the ban does not cover articles made exclusively of rigid materials, clothing, footwear, electrical wires, or brake cables or wheels of vehicles (e.g. bicycles, tricycles, rollers, skate boards, cribs or baby carriages); and

  5. imports of relevant products shall be accompanied by a technical report prepared by the Centre for Technological Research and Development of the Plastic Industry of Argentina to certify that such products do not contain any of the banned phthalates. Alternatively, importers may present a sworn statement attesting compliance with the phthalate requirements and a document from the abovementioned Centre showing that a request for a technical report was filed prior to 23 September 2009.

  1. Details of the Argentine phthalates ban and the products coverage can be retrieved from the relevant Argentine document at :
    http://www.infoleg.gov.ar/infolegInternet/anexos/155000-159999/158549/norma.htm

  1. Traders are advised to approach their importers in Argentina for further information or clarification of the relevance of the above measures to their exports to Argentina, if necessary.

ENQUIRIES

  1. For enquiries concerning the content of this circular, please contact Miss S Y TANG at telephone number 2398 5405.

Yours faithfully,

 


(Miss WONG Ying)
for Director-General of Trade and Industry