. /.   WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/TBT/N/MEX/197 
27 April 2010 
 (10-2212) 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade Original:   Spanish 
  
 
NOTIFICATION 
 
The following notification is being circ ulated in accordance with Article 10.6. 
 
1. Member to Agreement notifying:  MEXICO
 
If applicable, name of local government involved (Articles 3.2 and 7.2):  
2. Agency responsible:   Secretaría de Salud  (Ministry of Health) 
Name and address (including telephone and fax numbers and E-mail and website 
addresses, if available) of  agency or authority designated to handle comments 
regarding the notification shall be  indicated if different from above: 
Comité Consultivo Nacional de Normaliz ación de Regulación y Fomento Sanitario  
(National Advisory Committee on Standardiza tion for the Regulation and Promotion of 
Health) 
Monterrey número 33, planta baja, Colonia Roma 
Código postal 06700, México, D.F. Tel.: 5080 5200, Ext. 1480 Fax: 5511 1499 Website: http://www.salud.gob.mx/
 
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):   Pesticides 
5. Title, number of pages and lang uage(s) of the notified document:  
NOM-232-SSA1-2009, Plaguicidas:  que establece los requisitos del envase, embalaje y etiquetado de productos grado técnico y para us o agrícola, forestal, pecuario, jardinería, 
urbano, industrial y doméstico (Mexican Official Standard NOM-232-SSA1-2009, 
Pesticides:  Packing, packaging and labelling requirements for technical-grade products and 
products for agricultural, forestry, livestock,  garden, urban, industrial and household use) 
(29 pages, in Spanish). 
6. Description of content:   The notified Mexican Official Standard is binding throughout 
Mexican territory for natural and legal pers ons involved in the processing of pesticide 
products. 
Pesticides are substances or mixtures of substa nces which are used to mitigate, reduce or 
eliminate the impact of pests on agricultural production and human health, etc.  Given their 
toxic nature, such products have the potentia l to adversely affect human health and the 
environment.  The handling of pesticides therefore requires that emphasis be placed on the 
protection of users and occupationally exposed workers. G/TBT/N/MEX/197 
Page 2  
 
   The misuse of pesticides can lead to the poi soning of workers and the contamination of 
food and the environment, with detrimental effects on human health.  The purpose of this Standard is to promote the safe handling of these substances and communicate the main risks involved in their use. 
The labelling of pesticide products in a way that is inconsistent with this Standard will be 
prohibited 360 calendar days after the Standard  enters into force.  Companies therefore 
have a maximum of 360 days to use up their stocks of lithographed labels and packaging.  
7. Objective and rationale, including the na ture of urgent problems where applicable:  
The notified Mexican Official Standard set s forth requirements, instructions and 
characteristics relating to the packing, packaging and labelling of technical and formulated pesticides, in their various forms, with a view to minimizing the health risks for 
occupationally exposed workers and the genera l population during the storage, transport, 
handling and application of these products. 
8. Relevant documents:  
• Diario Oficial de la Federación  (Official Journal) of 13 April 2010: 
 http://www.dof.gob.mx/ ; 
• Guidelines on Good Labelling Practice for Pesticides :  Food and Agriculture 
 Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Rome, 1995; 
• The notified Standard is consistent with  Chapter 3.1 ("Acute Toxicity") of the 
 Globally Harmonized System of Class ification and Labelling of Chemicals  (GHS). 
9. Proposed date of adoption: 
 
Proposed date of entry into force:  360 calendar days after publication in the 
Official Journal 
8 April 2011 
10. Final date for comments:   n/a 
11. Texts available from:  National enquiry  point [X] or address, telephone and fax 
numbers, E-mail and website addresses,  if available, of other body:  
Secretaría de Economía 
Subsecretaría de Competitividad y Normatividad Dirección General de Normas Tel.: (+52) 55 5729-9100, Ext. 43217 Fax: (+52) 55 5520-9715 
E-mail: normasomc@economia.gob.mx and/or figueroa@economia.gob.mx 
Website: http://www.economia-noms.gob.mx/?P=144
 
 Text available online at: http://members.wto.org/crnattach ments/2010/tbt/mex/10_1611_00_s.pdf