Several coastal cities in South China are tightening up the entry-exit inspections on hazardous chemical products: Most of the reported cases are concerned with non-compliant labelling.
Since China’s new customs clearance order targeting entry-exit hazardous chemicals took effect in February 2012, several coastal cities in South China have been strengthening the special clearance inspection on imported and exported hazardous chemical products. In the subsequent 2 months, incidents of unstandard labeled hazardous chemicals or non-registered hazardous chemical imports were reported more than once from local Customs Inspection and Quarantine (CIQ) agencies in Shanghai, Shenzhen, Xiamen (Fujian Province) and Huizhou (Guangdong Province) to China’s supreme administrative authority for control of product quality and inspection, the AQSIQ.
In Shanghai, over 11% examined chemical imports and exports are found not conforming with the new inspection order. Most of them have problems with not proper Chinese labels or non-compliant label content or format with China GHS standards, official news release from Shanghai Customs alerts the public.
Similarly in Huizhou a batch of imported hazardous black ink was intercepted in 10 May because the product had no Chinese precautionary label but only English labels. Huizhou CIQ also pointed out there was no 24/7 emergency telephone number available on the outer package and the labelling format and content were not consistent with China’s relevant GB standard on “Safety rules for classification, precautionary labelling and precautionary statements of chemicals”.
One CIQ branch bureau in Shenzhen reported a case of non-registered hazardous chemicals during customs clearance. The inspectorates detected nearly 100 hundred barrels of scaling powder attached with some hazardous marking in English. Investigation found major component substance of the product, the 100% pure isopropanol, is listed in Chinese C&L but its corresponding HS code is not within the new 2012 Catalog of Entry&Exit Goods. Even this, Shenzhen CIQ reminded, the importer should have informed the agency of the substance and there should be a Chinese precautionary label for the product.
In the standardization of HC transportation and safety package, Xiamen CIQ bureau takes the lead by working out an effective and practical inspection model and increasing investment in hazardous chemicals testing. The Xiamen agency puts emphasis on inspection items of the HC SDS, labelling and packaging conformity, as well as labels for consumers warning and the confirmation on HC manufacturer/producer/distributor information.
Following the mandate to incorporate certain hazardous chemicals into the Entry-Exit inspection, some enterprises showed concern on the increased testing costs for substance identification and the delay in inspection duration for HC imports or exports. In response, Xiamen CIQ hoped to streamline the inspection procedure for HC products by strengthening electronic monitoring and establishing a platform of information sharing with other relevant authorities of enforcement.
Background information: What is the AQSIQ 2012 Catalog of Entry & Exit Goods?
China's AQSIQ and GAC jointly published in last December the 2012 Catalog of Entry & Exit Goods, in which 160 hazardous chemicals are added from the Catalog of Hazardous Chemicals (2002) to the CIQ annual campaign of inspection on imported and exported goods.
According to the new customs clearance order, imported and exported hazardous chemical products that are listed in China’s Catalogue of Hazardous Chemicals (the Chinese C&L Inventory) shall be subject to the special inspection and quarantine on hazard communication and the packaging by local CIQ authorities. Relevant import or export businesses need to report the chemical name as prescribed in the Chinese C&L Inventory and supply inspectorates with required documents composed of:
Declaration of Conformity;
Samples of a precautionary label and a safety data sheet, both in Chinese and based on China GHS rules, (bulk products are exempted);
Information on the name, quantity and others of inhibitors and stabilizers contained, if available;
And for HC exporting exclusively, other documents regarding the packing performance inspection and the identification & classification report on the hazard properties of the chemicals.
