March 10, 2016
Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) released an amendment to the “Ordinance for Enforcement of the Act on Control of Household Products Containing Harmful Substances,” setting threshold limits for the following aromatic amines at less than 30 mg/kg:
- 4-aminoazobenzene
- 2-amino-4-nitrotoluene;
- 4-aminobiphenyl
- 4,4’-oxydianiline
- o-anisidine
- o-aminoazotoluene
- o-toluidine
- 2,4-xylidine
- 2,6-xylidine
- 4-chloro-o-toluidine
- 2,4-diaminoanisole
- 4,4’-diaminodiphenylmethane
- 3,3’-dichlorobenzidine
- 3,3’-dimethyl-4,4’-diaminodiphenylmethane
- 3,3’-dimethylbenzidine
- 3,3’-dimethoxybenzidine
- 4,4’-thiodianiline
- 2,4,5-trimethylaniline
- 2,4-toluylendiamine
- 2-naphtylamine
- p-cresidine
- p-chloroaniline
- benzidine
- 4,4’-methylene-bis-(2-chloro-aniline)
Applicable to leather and textile goods, the restrictions are effective April 1, 2016.