. /.  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION   
G/TBT/N/JAM/33 
29 August 2012  
 (12-4661) 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade Original:   English 
  
 
NOTIFICATION 
 
The following notification is being circ ulated in accordance with Article 10.6 
 
1. Notifying Member:  JAMAICA  
If applicable, name of local governme nt involved (Article 3.2 and 7.2):     
2. Agency responsible:  Bureau of Standards Jamaica  
Name and address (including telephone and fax numbers, email and website 
addresses, if available) of agency or authority designated to handle comments 
regarding the notification shall be indicated if different from above :   
Regional and International Office 
6 Winchester Road Kingston 10 Jamaica W.I. Email:  info @bsj.org.jm   Website:  http://www.bsj.org.jm  
Tel.: +(876) 926-3140-5  Fax:  1 (876) 929-4736 
3. Notified under Article 2.9.2 [X], 2.10.1 [   ], 5.6.2 [   ], 5.7.1 [   ], other:   
4. Products covered (HS or CCCN where applicable, otherwise national tariff heading. 
ICS numbers may be provided in addition, where applicable):  Synthetic laundry 
detergent powder ICS 71.100.40. 
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document:  Jamaican Standard 
Specification for Synthetic laundry detergent powder JS 73: 1992 (17 pages, English).          
6. Description of content:  This revised standard specif ies the general and detailed 
requirements for syntheti c laundry detergent powder for use in domestic laundering machines 
and for hand laundering. The ma in sections of the standard  include scope, term and 
definitions, general requirements, detail requi rements, sampling procedures, packaging and 
labelling requirements.  
7. Objective and rationale, including the na ture of urgent problems where applicable:  
The main focus of this revision was to str eamline the acceptable limits for the use of 
phosphates and the major active co mponents in powdered detergents  in order to facilitate 
greater protection of the environment. Powder ed detergents, both domestic and commercial, 
are surface-active agents (surfactants) containing phosphate-derivatives that provide cleansing action. Phosphate may be a limiting nutrient in some aquatic environments and in some other 
countries the use of phosphate in detergents has been discouraged to prevent unsustainable 
plant growth and oxygen starvation (eutrophica tion) of lakes and waste ways. Eutrophication 
is the ecosystem's response to the excess additi on of artificial or natural substances, such as 
nitrates and phosphates, through fertilizers or sewage, to an  aquatic system. It is a 
phenomenon associated with the ag ing of lakes, results in alga l blooms, oxygen depletion and G/TBT/N/JAM/33 
Page 2  
 
  fish kills. Jamaica has experienced all of these environmental impacts together with 
degradation of coral reefs, unsta ble beaches and loss of shorelin e protection. A desirable goal 
of the standard is to reduce or eliminate com ponents that do not aid the removal of soil, so 
reducing stress on sewage systems in partic ular, and on the environment in general.  
8. Relevant documents:   A notice of the Jamaican Standard Specification for Synthetic laundry 
detergent powder  will appear in The Jamaica Gazett e Supplement - Proclamations, Rules and 
Regulations. When adopted, the document will appe ar as a Jamaican Stan dard Specification, 
with compulsory status, and will be available for sale.     
9. Proposed date of adoption:   
 
Proposed date of entry into force:    Date of publication in the Jamaica Gazette 
Supplement - Proclamations, Rules and 
Regulations.  
Three months following date of publication in the Jamaica Gazette Supplement- Proclamations, Rules and Regulations. 
10. Final date for comments:  60 days after circulati on by WTO Secretariat 
11. Text available from:  National enquiry point [X], or address, telephone and fax 
numbers, e-mail and web-site addres ses, if available of the other body: