Safety Regulations for Leather Goods

In case of the leather industry, measures are mainly targeted at preventing

hazards through chemicals and keeping exposure to dust as low as possible.
Chemicals used for several process steps, with tanning being a very
important one. Substances like pesticides, solvents, dyes, finishing agents
and processing chemicals are frequently toxic and persistent, both to the
environment and to human health.
The health problems and safety regulations here are associated with
chemicals are primarily related to skin contact or inhalation of hazardous
chemicals. Exposure to certain chemicals could lead for example to
disability, illness and even death in the long term.
The chemicals used in tanning and other operations may be hazardous
individually or when mixed. A number of fatal accidents have occurred
world wide due to the unintended generation of toxic hydrogen sulphide gas.
These accidents where not only fatal for employees; the surrounding
community was heavily affected too. It showed that occupational health &
safety is more than the well being of employees.
Exposure, toxic effects, and the percentage of chemicals used in the leather
products should therefore adhere to the standards set by the authorities.

Country Wise Legislation Laws restricting the content

of Azo dyes in Leather Products
Azo dyes are often used in the coloring process of several textiles and
leather products. Relatively recently it has been recognized that some Azo
coloring agents may form amines (breakdown products), which have
carcinogenic and mutagenic properties.

European Union Legislation Laws For Leather Products

The European Union restricts the marketing and use of certain dangerous
substances and preparations (Azo colorants) in leather products. The
legislation is relevant for all products made leather or in which leather is
used and which come into direct and prolonged contact with the skin and
mouth. These include producers of textiles and garments, leather goods,
shoes, toys, furniture, decorative articles, jewellery and accessories.
EU legislation: Azo dyes in leather articles
Azo dyes are often used in the colouring process of textiles and leather.
Many azo dyes exist that can be used to dye textile and leather. Part of these
dyes has the capacity to release certain aryl amines which pose cancer risks.
For this reason, the European Union laid down legislation to prevent
exposure to these hazardous arylamines. This indirectly implies that those
azo dyes that can split into these restricted amines can no longer be used to
dye textile and leather products that come into contact with the skin.

Outline of the requirements of Directive 2002/61/EC

The European Commission has published legislation restricting the use of
azo dyes which can release one or more specified amines in textile and
leather articles. This legislation is laid down in Directive 2002/61/EC,
amending Directive 76/769/EEC on the marketing and use of dangerous
substances and preparations.
The aim of the Directive is to protect the consumers health in the EU. The
Directive is applicable to all leather products that may come into direct and
prolonged contact with the human skin or oral cavity. The examples of
products listed are:
Clothing, bedding, towels, hairpieces, wigs, hats, nappies and other
sanitary items, sleeping bags,
Footwear, gloves, wristwatch straps, handbags, purses/wallets, briefcases,
chair covers, purses worn around the neck,
Leather toys or leather garments,
The Directive establishes that the products covered by the legislation may
not contain the 22 amines listed in Table 1 in a concentration above the
threshold limit of 30 ppm. This limit, 30 ppm, equals the detection limit.
all parts of a product should comply with this limit, and that this limit
applies to each amine separately.
E.g. a textile shoelace of leather footwear needs to comply with the limit
of 30 ppm, as well as the leather parts of footwear. It is not allowed to take
the average concentration of a certain amine in the complete product.

The UK legislation: Azo dyes in leather articles

The restricted use of azo dyes in textile and leather articles as established in
Directive 2002/61/EC and amended by 2004/21/EC was implemented in the
United Kingdom by the Controls on Certain Azo Dyes and "Blue Colorant"
(Amendment) Regulations.

The UK legislation is a direct transposition of the EU legislation. This means

that the UK legislation sets the same requirements as the EU Directive. The
table below provides a summary of the legislation.
Substance

Azo dyes that may split into harmful

(CAS

amines (92-67-1, 92-87-5, 95-69-2,

number)*:

91-59-8, 97-56-3, 99-55-8, 106-47-8,

615-05-4, 101-77-9, 91-94-1, 119-904, 119-93-7, 838-88-0, 120-71-8, 10114-4, 101-80-4, 139-65-1, 95-53-4,
95-80-7, 137-17-7, 90-04-4 and 60-

Products:

09-3)
Leather articles which may come into
direct and prolonged contact with the

Requirement:
Status:

skin or mouth
Limit: 30 ppm
Existing implementation

Source:

legislation
The Controls on Certain Azo Dyes

of

EU

and "Blue Colourant" (Amendment)

Regulations
*

A CAS number is a unique identifying number assigned to chemicals by the

Chemical Abstracts Service.

Legislation Laws restricting the content of Chromium

in Leather Products
Hexavalent chromium, abbreviated as Cr(VI) is a substance hazardous to
health. Cr (VI) can for example cause allergenic reactions in people. The
substance itself is not used in the leather tanning process, but can be formed
from the use of Chrome III. However, if the tanning process is optimized,
the Cr (VI) level can be as low as the detection limit.
Germany Legislation- Chromium in Leather Products
The General product safety requirements in Germany are laid down in the
LMBG (Lebensmittel und Bedarfsgegenstnde Gesetz). Governments use
such general requirements to protect consumers for products for which there
is not any specific legislation.
In Germany, it is forbidden to manufacture or distribute commodities in such
a way, that "if used properly or as anticipated, they may constitute a danger
to health on account of their material composition, particular through
toxicological substances or impurities."

Considering the hazardous nature of Hexavalent Chromium, the German

enforcement authorities strongly advise all those marketing leather products
in Germany to ensure that the Cr(VI) content of the leather should not
exceed 3 ppm.

Substance:
CAS

Hexavalent Chromium (Cr(VI))

7440-47-3

Number:
Products:
Requirement:

Leather products
It is strongly advised not to market leather
products in which the Chromium content exceeds

Status:

3 ppm.
Interpretation

Source:

requirement
Lebensmittel und Bedarfsgegenstnde Gesetz

of

general

product

safety

JAPAN
Restrictions on Harmful Substances

Handling baby and childrens wear demands observing the Law for the
Control of Household Products Containing Harmful Substances. These
restrictions are under the jurisdiction of the Office of Environmental
Chemicals Safety, Environmental Health Bureau, Ministry of Health and
Welfare, and the restrictions also apply to goods other than clothing. Details
of the restrictions on baby and childrens wear grouped according to type of
harmful substances are shown in the following table.

RESTRICTED SUBSTANCES LIST (RSL )

This Restricted Substances List (RSL) was created by a special
working group of the American Apparel & Footwear Associations
(AAFA) Environmental Task Force. The RSL is intended to provide
apparel and footwear companies with information related to
regulations and laws that restrict or ban certain chemicals and
substances in finished home textile, apparel, and footwear products
around the world.
The following table lists the various chemicals, and application areas
and also the raw materials, component parts, chemicals, sundries and
other things of value in which they can be expected.

TABLE - CHEMICALS DESCRIPTION AND SOME FIELDS OF

APPLICATION
Nickel
Nickel
metal
that

is

a Nickel metal is mainly used metal parts,

element for
may

plating

of

be improving

the

present as either resistance

in

alloys, natural
corrosion fibers, man
alloys, made fibers

a pure metal or improving the hardness of

as

nickel alloys and is a key element

compounds,

in

the

e.g., salts.

stainless

production
steel.

of

Nickel

compounds can be used as

pigments and as fixing
agents. Both nickel metal
and nickel compounds can
occur as an impurity in
Antimony

pigments and alloys

Antimony is a Antimony can be used as a leather,
metal that may catalyst in polymerisation manmade
be

present

either

as of

polyester.

Antimony fiber,

pure compounds can be used as natural

metal, or as a flame

retardants,

fixing fibers, metal

compound, e.g., agents and can be found in parts

Arsenic

salts.
pigments.
It can be present Arsenic and its compounds leather,
as a pure metal, can

be

used

as non-metal or preservatives,
as

in

some manmade

pesticides fiber,

arsenic and defoliants for cotton

compound

natural
fibers, metal

Chromium

parts
Chromium is a Chromium compounds can leather,

(Cr)

metal

element be used as dyeing additives, manmade

that is present as dye-fixing agents, for after fiber,

a pure metal or treatments
as

in

order

to natural

chromium improve colour fastness. fibers, metal

Phthalates

Used as softener (plasticizer) in plastics, prints,

print

pastes,

adhesives

and

plastics

other and rubber

products. Up to 50% of soft PVC plastic

can be a phthalate softener, but other
plastics or prints can contain phthalates
as well. Plastic buttons could contain
Organotin

phthalates.
Mainly
used

Compounds

plastic/rubber but also as anti-bacterial and

as

stabilizers

in Prints,

plastics
rubber,

agents in textiles. Can be found in anti leather.

corrosion coatings in drums containing
for example dye stuff. Used as catalysts
Phenols

in plastic production
Phenols (PCP/TeCP) are sometimes used natural

fibers,

to prevent mold when growing cotton man made fibers,

and when storing/transporting fabrics. prints,

plastics,

Phenols can be used as a preservative in and

rubber,

Isocyanates

print pastes.
leather and paper
Isocyanates are used in the production of fabrics

PCBs

polyurethane plastics and foams.

These are large molecules containing They are mainly
many chlorine atoms

used
pesticides,

as
but

also as softeners,
carriers
Chlorinated
agents

and

flame retardants
Bleaching Used for bleaching textiles, paper etc

Solvents

Organic solvents are mixtures of volatile, Solvents are used

commonly petroleum-derived, chemicals. whenever
Many

contain

large

amounts

of something

is

needed

be

chlorinated derivatives.

to

dissolved,

for

example, in the
dyeing/printing
process,

when

removing

spots

on ready made
garments and for
dissolving
glue

the
when

making shoes
Perflourinated PFOS and PFOA are included in a group PFOS and PFOA
Alkylated

of chemicals called fluorocarbons. They are used in the

Substances

are surfactants known to be stable, not production

(PFAS)

sensitive to heat and to repel both water fluoropolymers

and oily compounds.

of

which are used

as impregnating
agent on textiles,
e.g.,
repellents.
Where
Expect

Chemical

Description

Field of Application

Chemicals

water
to

Azo Dyes and Aromatic amines For dyeing textiles, Natural

Pigments

can be a part of prints

the

and

leather man made fibers,

molecular products.

structure in AZO pigments

dyes used both stuff

and

may

fibers,

Both leather,

prints,

dye plastics

and

contain rubber

for natural and banned amines.

synthetic
materials
Disperse Dyes Disperse
are

dyes Mainly

for

dyeing Man made fibers,

molecules polyester fibers but prints,

that

can also

penetrate

the acetate, viscose and

fiber system of other

plastics

polyamide, and rubber.

man-

made

polyester. It is fibers
not

chemically

bonded

to

the

fiber but trapped

inside the fiber
by
forces.

physical
Some

disperse dyes are

also banned azo
dyes as they can
cleave to form
the

restricted

amines
Other Dyes

For dyeing textiles and other materials.

Flame Retardants

To decrease the flammability of the

product, e.g., lowering the energy (heat)

of the flame.
Formaldehyde Formaldehyde is Formaldehyde
volatile

or Natural

and formaldehyde

fibers,

man-made fibers,

colourless and is releasing compounds prints,

plastics

present in small can, for example, be and

rubber,

amounts in the used

atmosphere,
tobacco
glue

for

shrinkage, easy-care paper.

smoke, and
and

air treatment,

pollution. Due to fixation

its

"contagious". If
you

place

garment

a
with

formaldehyde on
top of a garment
does

not

contain
formaldehyde,
the

other

garment

may

become
"infected".
Fabric

pre-crinkle
and

for
or

volatility, preservation of dyes

formaldehyde is and prints.

that

pre- leather

samples

and

for testing need

to

be

packed

separately

in

plastic bags.

PVC

PVC is a plastic In the textile industry Prints,

plastics

that can be soft PVC could be used to and rubber

or

hard, make

transparent
coloured.
may

soft

plastic

or accessories

like

PVC badges, sequins and

contain zip

pullers

or

as

phthalates,

coating on textiles for

organotin

rainwear and prints.

compounds, lead Various

and cadmium.

kinds

of

prints might be made

out of PVC