. /.  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/TBT/N/NLD/67 
5 April 2005 
 (05-1378) 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade Original:  English 
  
NOTIFICATION 
 
The following notification is being circ ulated in accordance with Article 10.6. 
 
1. Member to Agreement notifying:   THE NETHERLANDS
  
If applicable, name of local government involved (Articles 3.2 and 7.2):         
2. Agency responsible:   Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sports. 
Name and address (including telephone and fax numbers, e-mail and web-site 
addresses, if available) of  agency or authority designated to handle comments 
regarding the notification shall be indicated if different from above:   National Enquiry 
Point – EC WTO TBT Enquiry Point. 
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):   Balloons. 
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document:   Decree by the 
Minister for Public Health, Welfare and Sport,  establishing a policy rule on the standards 
used with regard to the safety of  balloons (3 pages, in English). 
6. Description of content:   The policy rule stipulates technical requirements for balloons, 
namely standards for the content of carcinoge nic substances (nitrosamines and nitrosatable 
compounds) in balloons and an obligatory warning clause to be included on the packaging of balloons.  The purpose of the policy rule is to  give a more concrete interpretation of the 
safety requirements (Paragraph 3, chemical characteristics) included in Article 3 of Directive 88/378/EEC (Toy Directive) as well as Article 5(1) of Directive 2001/95/EC (General Product Safety Directive). 
7. Objective and rationale, including the na ture of urgent problems where applicable:  
Research by the Food and Commodities Author ity (Dutch designation: VWA) has shown 
that balloons contain an increased level of  carcinogenic nitrosamines and nitrosatable 
compounds.  These substances that are carcinogeni c to man are released when sucking the 
balloons and are ingested by children, inter a lia, not only by inflating balloons, but also by 
sucking them (anticipated inappropriate use).  This is an undesirable situation that is 
inconsistent with a high level of protec tion for young children.  The Commodities Act 
(Toys) Decree does not contain any specific re quirements for nitrosamin es and nitrosatable 
compounds in balloons.  That is why the policy rule prescribes technical requirements for balloons, namely standards for the content of carcinogenic substances (nitrosamines and 
nitrosatable compounds) in balloons and a com pulsory warning clause on the packaging of 
balloons.  That is in order to prevent ch ildren from being exposed to those dangerous 
substances in balloons, or at least minimise this exposure.  This policy rule gives a more 
concrete interpretation of the open standards included in Article 3 of the Commodities Act 
(Toys) Decree and Article 2 of the Comm odities Act Decree on General Product Safety. G/TBT/N/NLD/67 
Page 2  
 
 8. Relevant documents:   Report by the Food and Commodities Authority (VWA). Migration 
of nitrosamines and nitrosatable compounds from balloons, Report ND1TOY01/01, November 2002 Risk assessment N-nitrosam ines in balloons.  Letter report RIVM, 
25-02-2003. 
9. Proposed date of adoption:   
Proposed date of entry into force:   }1 August 2005 
10. Final date for comments:   20 June 2005 
11. Texts available from:  National enquiry point [  X ] or address, telephone and fax 
numbers, e-mail and web-site addresses, if available of the other body: 
  http://europa.eu.int/comm/enterprise/tbt/