The Dangerous Substances and Preparations (Nickel) (Safety) Regulations 2000

Prohibitions on the supply of products containing nickel and its compounds

3.—(1) Subject to paragraphs (5) and (6) below, no person shall supply any post assembly intended to be inserted into a pierced ear or other pierced part of the human body during epithelization of the wound caused by such piercing (whether or not it is a post assembly which is intended subsequently to be removed) if that post assembly contains nickel(1) or a nickel compound, unless the post assembly is homogeneous and the concentration of nickel which it contains is less than 0.05% (expressed as mass of nickel to total mass).

(2) Subject to paragraphs (5) and (6) below, no person shall supply any products intended to come into direct and prolonged contact with the skin, which contains nickel or a nickel compound if the rate of nickel release from the parts of the product coming into direct and prolonged contact with the skin is greater than 0.5μg/cm²/week, including any of the following products—

(a) earrings;

(b) necklaces, bracelets, chains, anklets and finger rings;

(c) wrist-watch cases, watch straps and tighteners;

(d) rivet buttons, tighteners, rivets, zippers and metal marks, contained in or intended to be used in garments;

(3) Paragraph (2) above shall not apply to any product which contains nickel and has a non-nickel coating to which paragraph (4) below applies.

(4) Subject to paragraphs (5) and (6) below, no person shall supply any product listed in paragraph (2)(a) to (d) above or any other product intended to come into direct and prolonged contact with the skin which—

(a) contains nickel or a nickel compound; and

(b) has a non-nickel coating,

unless the non-nickel coating is sufficient to ensure that the rate of nickel release from the parts of the product coming into direct and prolonged contact with the skin will not exceed 0.5μg/cm²/week for a period of at least two years of normal use of the product.

(5) Nothing in paragraphs (1), (2) and (4) above shall prohibit the supply to the final consumer of any product which was placed on the market before 20th January 2000.

(6) The test methods in BS EN 1810, BS EN 1811, BS EN 12472, shall be used in demonstrating the conformity of products referred to in paragraphs (1), (2) and (4) above of these Regulations.

(1)

CAS No. 744-02-0; EINECS No. 2311114. “CAS numbers” are the numbers assigned by the Chemical Abstracts Service. “EINECS numbers” are the reference numbers assigned to chemical substances in the European Inventory of Existing Commercial Chemical Substances.