In May 2014 an international standard ISO 14389:2014 Textiles Determination of phthalate content Tetrahydrofuran method was published. Online PR News – 20-September-2014 – The standard supersedes the European standard EN 15777:2009 which was withdrawn in July 2014. ISO 14389:2014 Uses Correction and Calculation Method to Determine Phthalate Content in Textile Products EN 15777:2009 was the first European standard to determinate phthalate content in textile products (1). This standard covers a method for determination of phthalates in printed or coated fabric using a correction calculation based on the mass of the print to the mass of the whole sample. Recently a new standard ISO 14389:2014 was issued and supersedes EN 15777. The new standard uses the correction calculation method whereas a different extraction method is used. Under the new standard phthalates are extracted using a dissolution technique which aligns with the extraction method in CPSC-CH-C1001-09.3. Table 1 within the latest SafeGuards bulletin (http://newsletter.sgs.com/eNewsletterPro/uploadedimages/000006/sgs-safeguards-15514-new-standard-phthalates-textile-iso-143892014-a4-en-14.pdf) summarizes the major difference compared with the superseded harmonized standard EN 15777 and CPSC-CH-C1001-09.3. Phthalates esters of ortho-phthalic acid are a group of organic compounds used as plasticizers to increase softness of plastic especially PVC. In the clothing industry they can be found in synthetic leather buttons coated fabric plastisol and dye printing. Due to the toxicological concern caused by phthalates certain phthalates in toys and childcare articles are regulated in EU and USA (2). In addition to these markets they also are restricted in some Asian countries such as Korea (3) and Taiwan (4) and emerging countries such as Egypt (5) and Turkey (6). Table 2 summarizes the regulation of phthalates in different countries. References: (1) SGS Safeguards No. 039/10 February 2010 (2) SGS Safeguards No. 168/09 October 2009 (3) SGS Safeguards No. 004/13 January 2014 SGS-Safeguards No. 092/11 May 2011 SGS-Safeguards No. 051/10 March 2010 (4) SGS Safeguards No. 086/11 May 2011 (5) SGS Safeguards No. 104/13 June 2013 SGS Safeguards No. 092/12 June 2012 SGS-Safeguards No. 031/12 February 2012 (6) SGS Safeguards No. 037/13 February 2013 About SGS Softlines Services Throughout a global network of laboratories and offices SGS offers high quality testing for textiles (http://www.sgs.com/en/Consumer-Goods-Retail/Softlines-and-Accessories/Textile-and-Clothing/Testing.aspx) footwear and accessories. For more information please feel free to contact an SGS expert. SGS is the worlds leading inspection verification testing and certification company. SGS is recognized as the global benchmark for quality and integrity. With more than 80000 employees SGS operates a network of over 1650 offices and laboratories around the world. |