WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/TBT/N/NOR/17 
8 June 2007 
 (07-2414) 
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:   NORWAY
 
If applicable, name of local government involved (Articles 3.2 and 7.2):         
2. Agency responsible:    
Norwegian Pollution Control Authority 
PO Box 8100 N-0032 Oslo 
Norway 
Telephone: (+47) 22 57 34 00 Telefax: (+47) 22 67 67 06 Email:  postmottak@sft.no Website: www.sft.no 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:    
 
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):   The proposed regulation 
will concern 18 specific hazardous substances in consumer products with a content above a 
specified limit. The prohibition is proposed as a new chapter concerning consumer products 
in the Norwegian Product Regulations. 
There are certain exceptions to the prohibition cf. the enclosed specific provision in the draft 
regulation. The regulation does not apply to food products and tobacco, as well as means of 
transport, permanently mounted equipment fo r means of transport and tyres and similar 
accessories for means of transport. To the de gree that the substances are used as biocide 
and/or pesticides the specific regulations  for biocides and pesticides will apply. 
By the term consumer product  what is meant is any product that is intended for consumers 
or that can reasonably be expected to be used by consumers. 
5. Title, number of pages and langu age(s) of the notified document:   Prohibition on certain 
hazardous substances in consumer pr oducts (4 pages, in English). 
6. Description of content:   Norway proposes to prohibit to produce, import, export or sell 
consumer products that contain certain sp ecific substances when the content of the 
substance in the product's homogeneous component parts are greater or equal to the limiting 
values specified.  
 G/TBT/N/NOR/17 
Page 2  
 
  The proposed ban includes the following hazar dous substances in consumer products: 
arsenic, bisphenol A, cadmium, diethylhexylphtalate (DEHP), lead, medium-chained chlorinated paraffins (MCCP), the musk compounds, perfluorooctyl acid (PFOA), some selected surfactants (DTDMAC, DODMAC/DSDMAC, DHTDMAC), triclosan, pentachlorphenol, tributyltin and triphenyltin  compounds (TBT/TPT), tetrabromobisphenol 
A (TBBPA) and hexabromocyclododecane (HBCDD). There are proposed exceptions for 
use in certain products cf. the enclosed speci fic provision in the draft regulation, due to  
harmonized EU regulation, the lack of real alte rnatives, a diminished effect on human health 
and the environment of including the application area or a prohibition in the application area 
being expected to involve significant costs. 
The prohibition is proposed as a new chapter concerning consumer products in the 
Norwegian Product Regulations. 
7. Objective and rationale, including the na ture of urgent problems where applicable:  
The proposed substances are high-priority hazardous substances which are persistent, 
bioaccumulating and/or toxic, e.g. toxic to reproduction.  To eliminate the use and emissions of these substances is therefore highly prioritized in Norway.  Products are a significant source of emissions of hazardous chemicals.  The contribution of products to 
emissions of hazardous substances has in recen t years increased in comparison with the 
traditional sources of emissions such as industr y and the like, where the emissions have 
been reduced to a substantial degree.  H azardous substances in consumer products are 
distributed via a wide range of products.  C onsumers often do not ha ve adequate knowledge 
of the safe use of the products, access to pr otective equipment or knowledge of the safe 
disposition of discarded products.  This involves ex posure for the users, either directly or 
indirectly via the environment, e.g. because of emissions to the environment during service life or because the residual products to a la rge extent end up in normal household waste. 
Monitoring data from Norway, in particular  data from recent screening studies, shows 
widespread contamination of the substances in the environment.  This indicates the risk of 
severe adverse effects to the environment and h ealth caused by these substances when used 
in consumer products. 
8. Relevant documents:   Impact assessment of prohibition on hazardous substances in 
consumer products with  following annexes: 
 - Screening of selected new organic contaminants - brominated flame retardants, chlorinated paraffins, bispheno l-A and trichlosan, SFT report 2004 (Annex 1) 
- Organochlorines, Polybrominated Dipheny l Ethers and Perfluorinated Compounds in 
Marine Sediments from Isfjorden, Svalbard - Evenset, A1, Christensen, GN1 & Berger, U2, 
2006 (Annex 2) - Perfluorinated Alkylated Substances (Pfas) In the Nordic Envir onment Temanord 2004  
(Annex 3) - Screening of selected new organic contaminants 2004. Brominated flame retardants, 
perfluorinated alkylated substances, irgaro l, diuron, BHT and dicofol, SFT Report 2005 
(Annex 4) - Pilot study of selected ”new” contaminants in human blood samples Northern Norway, North-West Russia and Sibir, TA-2184/2006 (Annex 5) 
- Temporal trends if brominated flame reta rdants, cyclododeca-1,5,9-triene and mercury in 
eggs of four seabirds species from Northern Norway and Svalbard, SPFO Report 942/2005 
(Annex 6)  G/TBT/N/NOR/17 
 Page 3 
 
 
  9. Proposed date of adoption:   
Proposed date of entry into force:    15 December 2007 
1 January 2008 
10. Final date for comments:   10 August 2007 
11. Texts available from:  National enquiry point [    ] or address, telephone and fax 
numbers, e-mail and web-site addresses, if available of the other body:   
Norwegian Pollution Control Authority 
PO Box 8100 N-0032 Oslo 
Norway 
Telephone: (+47) 22 57 34 00 Telefax: (+47) 22 67 67 06 Email:  postmottak@sft.no Website: www.sft.no