China Updates the Requirements for Hazardous Substances in Student Articles

On July 23, the Standardization Administration of China (SAC) issued the National Standards Notice No.18 of 2020 ^[1] to release 13 mandatory national standards and 2 amendments, including GB 21027-2020 Request in Common Use of Security for Student's Articles ^[2], which is updated from GB 21027-2007. Requirements, test methods, and marks of student articles are stipulated in GB 21027-2020. The new standard will enter into effect and replace the old one on February 1, 2022. 

GB 21027-2020 specifies that it applies to the learning supplies for students no more than 14 years old, including watercolor paints, crayons, oil pastels, color clay, erasers, correction fluids, watercolor pens, fountain pens, ballpoint pens, pencils, plotter rulers, book covers, school bags, pencil bags, etc. For more specific product kinds please refer to the standard. It is stated that stationery products intended for students over 14 years of age and for professionals are not applicable to this standard.

Requirements for different kinds of student articles are also stipulated in the standard. The limits of the migratable elements in products, limits of hazardous substances in liquid glues, solid glues, and pastes, limits of chlorinated hydrocarbons in correction liquids, correction tapes, and other kinds of correction products, limits of harmful aromatic amines in schoolbags and pencil bags, limits of phthalates in accessible plastic parts, and limits of free formaldehyde in colored clays, etc. are all specified in Part 4 of the standard. Appendix G specifies which requirements each product needs to meet. In addition, for the products specified in Appendix G and subject to the standard, their packaging should be marked with the following statement, “This product is suitable for students under 14 years old (including 14 years old)” or “Applicable age: 6 years old to 14 years old”.

Here is the table of content of GB 21027-2020:

Preface

1. Scope

2. Normative Reference

3. Terms and Definitions

4. Requirements

5. Test Methods

6. Marking

Appendix A (Normative Appendix) List of Harmful Aromatic Amines

Appendix B (Informative Appendix) Design Guidelines for the Ventilation Area of Pen Cap

Appendix C (Normative Appendix) Determination of Benzene Content in Glues and Correction products - Gas Chromatography

Appendix D (Normative Appendix) Determination of Toluene and Xylene Content in Glues - Gas Chromatography

Appendix E (Normative Appendix) Determination of Total Volatile Organic Compounds in Adhesives

Appendix F (Normative Appendix) Test of Air Flow

Appendix G (Informative Appendix) Student Supplies Catalog and Examples of Corresponding requirements