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EU legislation: Cadmium in several
products

Cadmium compounds are carcinogenic agents used in various ways in
different product groups. To reduce health hazards, the EU has set restrictions
on the presence of cadmium in several products.

Substance Product Why How to comply
Cadmium (CAS No.
7440-43-9)
Plastics, paints,
recovered pvc,
plated metallic
products, brazing
fillers, jewellery.
Cadmium is
carcinogenic
substance.
Check if cadmium is
used in your supply
chain and if
necessary make sure
no maximum
concentrations are
exceeded

If you use cadmium in your products, e.g. as a stabilizer in plastics or as pigment, you have
to make sure that your products meet the EU restrictions on the use of cadmium.

The EU legislation restricts the use of cadmium in the following types of applications:

1. Plastics;
2. Paints;
3. Recovered PVC;
4. Plated metallic products;
5. Brazing fillers;
6. Jewellery.

Example: Alternatives to cadmium for coating and electroplating
The basic alternative for cadmium plating is zinc plating. In recent years, zinc-nickel alloys have
become popular. Zinc-nickel alloys have been found to possess all of the attributes of cadmium for
coating and plating, with the added benefit of environmental safety. Other plating alternatives
include tin alloys and aluminium vapour deposition. Aluminium vapour deposition coating is still
very expensive and has been used primarily on high-strength steels in the aerospace industry and in
marine applications.

EU Legislation
The restrictions on the use of cadmium
1
and cadmium compounds in products
are laid down in Annex XVII to the EU Regulation (EC) 1907/2006 on the
registration, evaluation and authorisation of chemicals (REACH), which is directly
applicable in all EU Member States.

Restrictions
1. Cadmium in plastics
Cadmium may not be used in concentrations exceeding 0.01% by mass in the following
materials:

polymers or copolymers of vinyl chloride (PVC) polyethylene terephthalate (PET

1
CAS No. 7440-43-9
EU legislation: Cadmium in several products
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polyurethane (PUR)
low-density polyethylene (LDPE), with the exception
of low-density polyethylene used for the production
of coloured masterbatch
cellulose acetate (CA)
cellulose acetate butyrate (CAB)
epoxy resins
melamine-formaldehyde (MF) resins
urea-formaldehyde (UF) resins
unsaturated polyesters (UP)
polybutylene terephthalate (PBT)
transparent/general-purpose polystyrene
acrylonitrile methylmethacrylate (AMMA)
cross-linked polyethylene (VPE)
high-impact polystyrene
polypropylene (PP)
high-density polyethylene (HDPE)
acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS)
poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA)
Please note that this restriction also applies to products with plastic parts or accessories, for
example prints on textile articles:

2. Cadmium in paints
Paint that contains a level of cadmium (as a pigment) higher than 0.01% by mass is
prohibited. If the paint contains a high level of zinc, the residual concentration of
cadmium must be as low as possible, in any case not higher than 0.1% by mass.

Painted articles may not be placed on the market if the concentration of cadmium
(expressed as Cd metal) is equal to or greater than 0.1 % by weight of the paint on the
painted article.

Exemptions
The use of cadmium as pigment is allowed in products coloured for safety reasons (e.g.
brightly coloured safety signs).

3. Cadmium in recovered PVC
Mixtures and articles containing recovered PVC (produced from PVC waste) being placed on
market for the first time, may be placed on the market if the concentration of cadmium
(expressed as Cd metal) does not exceed 0.1 % by weight of the plastic material in the
following rigid PVC applications:

a) Profiles and rigid sheets for building applications;
b) Doors, windows, shutters, walls, blinds, fences, and roof gutters;
c) Decks and terraces;
d) Cable ducts;
e) Pipes for non-drinking water if the recovered PVC is used in the middle layer of a
multilayer pipe and entirely covered with a layer of newly produced PVC (which
complies with the requirements from section 1).

When you want to export mixtures and articles containing recovered PVC, your products
must be visibly, legibly and indelibly marked as follows: Contains recovered PVC or with the
following pictogram:


4. Cadmium used for plating metallic products
Regulation (EC) 1907/2006 prohibits the placing on the market of cadmium-plated
products or components used for the following applications:

Equipment and machinery for food production, agriculture, cooling and freezing,
printing and book-binding;
Equipment and machinery for the production of household goods, furniture, sanitary
ware, central heating and air conditioning;
Equipment and machinery for the production of paper and board, textiles and
clothing.
EU legislation: Cadmium in several products
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Within the scope of the Regulation, cadmium plating means any deposit or coating of
metallic cadmium on a metallic surface.

5. Cadmium in brazing fillers
Cadmium may not be used in brazing fillers(joining technique using alloys at 450 C or
above) in concentration equal to or greater than 0,01 % by weight.

Exemptions
Brazing fillers used in defence and aerospace applications and brazing fillers used for safety
reasons are exempted.

6. Cadmium used in metal parts in jewellery
As from 10 December 2011, metal parts in jewellery, imitation jewellery, hair accessories or
articles used for making jewellery may not contain more than 0.01% (100 mg/kg) cadmium.
This includes:

Bracelets, necklaces and rings;
Piercing jewellery;
Wrist-watches and wrist-wear;
Brooches and cufflinks;
Metal beads and other metal components for jewellery making.

How to best ensure compliance with EU legislation
To show due diligence, you should:

Check with your supplier if cadmium has been used in the products purchased. If it is applied as a
pigment in plastic products (or plastic applications/accessories of your products), confirm with
the producer if the cadmium concentration does not exceed 0.01% by mass.
Likewise, for plastic products where cadmium is used as stabilizer, make sure that the cadmium
content in the product does not exceed 0.01% by mass.
If you purchase metallic equipment or machinery, check if any of the prohibitions on the use of
cadmium as metallic coating applies to your machinerys sector.
Provide EU retailers or importers with accurate information on your products.

Supply chain management
Since your company is also part of a supply chain, your EU buyer might set requirements related to
his/her supply chain management. You might have to pass on some prerequisites to your supplier as
well in order to fulfil the requirements of the EU markets.

Related documents
Please find below an overview of other legislative and non-legislative requirements that may also be of
relevance. Some of the requirements are shortly highlighted in this document. More details however,
can be found in the CBI database under the following document titles:

Legislation:
EU legislation: Chemicals REACH
EU legislation: Heavy metals in automotive components and materials (end-of-life vehicles)
EU legislation: Packaging and packaging waste

Non-legislation:
EU buyers requirements: Supply chain management
Last updated March 2012
This document was compiled for CBI by CREM B.V.
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