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Trade and Industry Department The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
Brand Hong Kong - Asia world city
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Commercial Information Circulars

24-hour hotline : 23 922 922

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

Ref : EIC 230/2/12

4 November 2004

Dear Sirs,

Commercial Information Circular No. 274/2004

European Union (EU)* : Restrictions on the Marketing and Use of Nickel for Piercing Post Assemblies

Further to Commercial Information Circular No. 132/99 of 1 September 1999, the European Commission (the Commission) has adopted a Directive to amend the existing restrictions on the marketing and use of nickel in piercing post assemblies. Details are set out in Commission Directive 2004/96/EC (the Directive), a copy of which is attached (pdf format) to this circular for reference. Member States are required to put the Directive into force with effect from 1 September 2005.

DETAILS

  1. Commercial Information Circular No. 82/94 of 7 September 1994 informed the trade, among others, of the maximum level of nickel content allowed in piercing post assemblies. Following a recent risk assessment of sensitisation of humans to nickel by piercing post assemblies, the EU authorities considered it appropriate to replace the current nickel content limit by a nickel migration limit which may induce lower risks of sensitisation. Under the Directive, nickel and its compound may not be used in all post assemblies which are inserted into pierced ears and other pierced parts of the human body unless the rate of nickel release from such post assemblies is less than 0.2 μg/cm2/week. Products may not be placed on the Community market unless they conform to the said requirement.

ENQUIRIES

  1. For enquiries about the content of this circular, please contact the undersigned at telephone number 2398 5684.




Yours faithfully,

 


(Miss Sandra SOU)

for Director-General of Trade and Industry

* The EU includes Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, the Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.



  • While every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the above information, the Department cannot guarantee this to be so and will not be held liable for any reliance placed on the same.