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A random inspection in Sweden found harmful substances in plastic products.

The Swedish Chemicals Agency (KEMI) recently conducted an inspection of commercially available plastic products for hazardous substances, finding that at least 10% of the sampled products contained harmful chemicals. KEMI tested 160 plastic products from 52 companies for the following hazardous substances: These products included household items such as bathroom supplies, garden tools, work gloves, bags/purses, and sporting goods, mostly made of soft plastics. The results showed that almost all PVC plastic products contained the aforementioned hazardous substances. KEMI released the following results: After KEMI notified the 52 manufacturers of the test results, some companies voluntarily removed products exceeding the limits from shelves. KEMI also took action, issuing sales bans on two products and filing complaints against 20 companies. KEMI auditor Marcus Hagberg pointed out that although the levels of hazardous substances in most products were below legal limits, the wide reach and sales volume of these plastic products mean that the cumulative impact of hazardous substances on human health and environmental safety is relatively alarming. Therefore, in publishing these findings, KEMI reiterated that businesses must strictly control and require upstream suppliers to provide accurate data to minimize the levels of harmful substances in final consumer products, jointly safeguarding consumer health and environmental safety. Source: Chemical Watch

2016-10-06

Can the U.S. "Right to Repair" Act for Electronic Products Reduce Electronic Waste?

According to a research report by Waste Dive, a US e-waste recycling organization, establishing "Right to Repair" laws for electronic products, requiring manufacturers to provide product repair manuals and spare parts, would be the biggest driver of reducing e-waste generation. Since 2014, five US states – South Dakota, New York, Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Nebraska – have proposed similar "Right to Repair" laws, but these bills have all failed. Furthermore, e-waste brands including Apple, Cisco, and Xerox actively lobbied against these bills during the proposal stage. Gay Gordon-Byrne, general manager of the Repair Association, pointed out in the report that without market competition from repair shops, manufacturers would set repair prices higher than buying new devices to ensure profitability. Globally, over 20 million tons of e-waste are produced annually, with the US alone producing approximately 3.4 million tons. The US EPA estimates that e-waste growth is 2-3 times that of other regulated waste. The Repair Association has long been committed to advocating and promoting the right to repair electronic products, aiming not only to reduce electronic waste generation but also to secure employment rights for electronic product repair technicians. Electronic product repair company iFixit estimates that if the right to repair legislation is formally implemented, it will not only effectively reduce the amount of electronic waste but also...

2016-10-06

Chinese consumers are willing to pay for "green electricity".

近日，中國循環經濟協會可再生能源專委會 (CREIA) 委託益普索市場諮詢有限公司 (Ipsos) 對中國十座主要城市的3000名消費者進行訪問，發現中國消費者對於購買“綠色電力”的意願空前地強烈。 “綠色電力”是指來自風能，太陽能和生物質能等可再生能源產生的電力。中國可再生能源近年來發展迅猛，風電和太陽能光伏發電的累計裝機容量都居世界第一。但火電仍是中國電力結構中的大宗，2015年佔中國全國發電量的74%，其中大部分是煤電。隨之而來的空氣污染與碳排放問題成為中國社會之痛。該調查結果顯示，中國民眾高度關注空氣污染問題，認為“綠色電力”有助於減少污染，並願意為之付出更高的電費。但消費者的意願能否改變中國電力格局，目前並不明朗。在所有城市中，受訪者表現出對環境污染問題的高度關切。超過四成的受訪者表示“非常關心”目前中國國內的環境狀況。空氣污染所受到的關注程度最高，遠遠超過氣候變化問題所受到的關切。民眾對於“綠色電力”的態度似乎與他們對空氣污染的深惡痛絕有關。超過九成的受訪者認為綠色電力能夠在一定程度上降低空氣污染。該調查顯示，受訪者對於購買“綠色

2016-10-06

Maine, USA, bans button batteries containing PBDE and mercury.

美國緬因州禁止含有PBDE和汞的鈕扣電池美國緬因州州長已簽署通過兩項法案，限制鈕扣電池中使用十溴二苯醚(deca-PBDE，一種阻燃劑)和汞。挑戰：自2010年1月1日起，任何人不得在緬因州生產、銷售、為銷售供貨或分銷，或使用塑膠外殼之十溴二苯醚濃度超過0.1%的電視或電腦產品。豁免項目： 1. 二手產品； 2.因使用的回收材料中原本就有PBDE存在；或者 3. 2006年1月1日前生產的產品、以及含五溴二苯醚或八溴二苯醚的替換零件。對於含汞鈕扣電池的要求更加嚴格：自2011年6月30日起，任何人不得銷售、供貨，分銷或是以推廣目的提供以下含汞鈕扣電池，或含有任何以下含汞鈕扣電池的產品： 1. 鋅空氣鈕扣電池； 2. 鹼錳鈕扣電池；或者 3. 標號為SR357、SR364、SR371、SR377或SR395的氧化銀鈕扣電池，另外，2015年1月1日後，任何人不得銷售、提供銷售，或以推廣為目的提供含汞的氧化銀鈕扣電池，或任何使用此類電池的產品。 -　參考資料來源：香港貿發網 2009-06-10

2009-11-07

亞洲的GMP趨勢與考驗

背景介紹近年來，亞洲對外的藥品供應市場迅速增長，令全球活性藥物成分（API）、半成品及原材料的生產集中於亞洲。據in-pharmatechnologist.com於2007年12月發表的一篇文章稱，美國和歐盟用於生產成品藥的API中有80％來自亞洲，當中，中國和印度的供應量佔很大份額。美國及歐盟的執法及主管部門亦相應開始關注入口藥品的質量而採取有關行動及計劃來保障使用者的安全。亞洲面臨的考驗美國及歐盟所定的GMP標準已成為亞洲供應商與出口商需要遵守的守則，與此同時，亦需要遵守自己國家的GMP法規。這種滿足一個或更多個管轄區標準的的巨大壓力，在過去以及未來若干年中都將是亞洲供應商要面臨的重大考驗。三個最有影響力的管理機構及其標準歐洲藥品管理局（EMEA）、美國食品藥品管理局（FDA）和日本厚生勞動省（MHLW）三家全球最具影響力的藥品管理機構各自採取不同的方法，保證國產與外來藥品生產的品質。歐洲 EMEA採用一種以風險評估為基礎的方法，規定採用根據EU GMP標準生產的預加工材料，讓藥品生產商（或市場授權持有者[MAH]）承擔確保合格質量的主要責任。目前，EMEA在歐洲經

2009-02-12

醫用材料的生物相容性測試－細胞毒性(ISO 10993-5)

醫用材料的生物相容性測試－細胞毒性(ISO 10993-5) 生物相容性指的是醫用材料和病人的組織和生理系統間的相互適應性。醫用材料之所以能在臨床取得成功並能安全使用，主要緣於其良好的生物相容性。通常，一些醫用材料在使用過程中會釋放有毒物質，導致與病人不“相容”。出於監控生物相容性的目的，一般會在最壞的情况下模擬使用醫用材料及其萃取物，從而確保在正常使用條件下的安全性。 ISO 10993 中，第1到第20部分規定了一系列强制標準來評價醫用材料的生物相容性。其中第五部分的判斷標準就是研究醫用材料萃取物對確立細胞株的細胞毒性研究（在生物體外進行研究）。生物體外研究的花費通常較低，並容易在一些反對用動物做實驗的地區進行。細胞培養實驗應用於醫用材料的生物相容性研究中。通常，研究醫用材料的細胞毒性有三種方法。第一種方法是直接接觸法，適用於低密度的材料，例如隱形眼鏡。測試材料直接放在細胞株上，然後在適當的溫度下加熱。加熱過程中，一些可溶出的化學物質就會擴散到培養基中，直接和細胞接觸。如果材料周圍的細胞株出現畸形、退化和分解現象，就可以判定這種材料有細胞毒性。

2008-08-17

Quarantine measures for wood packaging materials formulated by various countries

Countries such as the United States, Canada and Australia attach great importance to the import quarantine of wood packaging materials. Before the formulation of ISPM 15, there were requirements for quarantine or processing of importing countries; after the incident of Star Beetle, the United States Animal and Plant Quarantine Unit re-examined the regulations on wood packaging materials quarantine policy, adopt more stringent quarantine measures, and at the same time strengthen the inspection and monitoring of important wood pests such as various longhorned beetles and small beetles at various import ports in the United States; in addition, a special research group has been established to be responsible for risk analysis and formulation of long-lived longhorned longhorned beetles. Extermination plan. After the announcement of ISPM 15, many countries have used this guideline as a reference, and based on the actual situation of each country, have formulated more stringent quarantine measures for wood packaging materials than in the past. For example, Canada has required that since June 1, 2002 Wooden packaging materials exported to this country from various countries (except the United States) must be processed in accordance with ISPM 15 standards or in a manner approved by the Canadian quarantine agency before they can be imported. Applicable products include wooden pallets and pallets, etc. If you wish to export Before going to Canada, it must be handled under the supervision of professional quarantine personnel in any of the following ways: 1. Heat treatment: dry heat treatment until the center temperature of the packaging material reaches 56°C for more than 30 minutes; 2. Fumigation with methyl bromide; or 3. Other methods approved by the Canadian quarantine unit, and the processed wooden packaging materials can be stamped and stamped before they can be exported to Canada; and then, China also based on experts’ regulations on the wooden packaging of EU goods. Pest risk analysis results indicate that the quarantine risk of wood packaging for EU goods is very high

2006-11-12

Conclusion

Wooden packaging materials made from unprocessed logs are usually of poor quality and have a high probability of carrying harmful organisms. Wooden packaging materials are often reused to carry different goods and transported to different regions, and the epidemics caused by them are also more complex. Once pests are introduced into a new area, due to the lack of effective control by natural enemies and the ability to escape the suppression of dominant species, it is easy to establish new populations, often causing more serious economic losses and ecological disasters than in their place of origin. Various examples show that wooden packaging materials and imported logs have become the main channels for the long-distance spread of harmful organisms (Qu, 1999). The invasion of long-distance beetles into the United States is the most famous case in recent years; in fact, pine wilt disease caused by pine wood nematode has been in the United States since 1983. After the discovery in Shimen Township, Taipei County, in less than 20 years, the disease has spread to almost all parts of Taiwan. Reports of the disease have been reported along the Zhongheng and Nanheng Highways. Even Kinmen and Matsu cannot escape the attack of the disease; the affected tree species have never been affected. Ryukyu pine and black pine, as well as Taiwanese two-leaf pine and slash pine, have plunged Taiwan's pine trees into unprecedented catastrophe; it is believed that pine wood threads invaded Taiwan through wooden packaging materials and beetles. The painful lessons of history are still there. Our country must abide by relevant international norms and strictly implement quarantine measures for imported and exported goods. Domestically, we can avoid the harmful organisms carried by imported goods that may cause irreparable disasters to Taiwan. Externally, we can reduce the number of export goods that are detected. It can also prevent domestic problems from turning into international problems.

2006-11-01

The impact of ISPM 15 on Taiwan and its response strategies

In international trade, wood is widely used as packaging material. At present, it cannot be completely replaced by other packaging materials. After my country joins the WTO, under diversified free trade, it is expected that the number of wooden packaging materials used in imported and exported goods will continue to increase. In order to respond to the spread of quarantine pests as wood packaging materials spread internationally, our country should actively collect relevant information from various channels. In addition to cooperating with the ISPM 15 guidelines to formulate and implement import and export quarantine measures that comply with international standards, we should also conduct Relevant risk assessments to thoroughly understand the impact of suspected quarantine pests; for example, if the longhorn beetle is introduced into China, it may not only seriously harm the forests and economic plants in Taiwan's vast area, but also the environment and ecology of the entire country. Analyze the disasters caused by our country's biodiversity, the increase in production costs, and the social losses that may cause unemployment or work stoppages, etc. We should carefully conduct risk assessments to face them. Various problems caused by quarantine pests. APHIS (2003) has analyzed the regulatory impact of implementing ISPM15 regulations, which is valuable for our country's reference. In addition to strictly enforcing quarantine measures, we should strengthen detection and monitoring of channels through which wood pests of quarantine importance may invade, and improve relevant network systems. For species that are difficult to identify, relevant rapid diagnostic and identification methods should be developed, and frontline quarantine and quarantine personnel should be trained to identify these harmful organisms.

2006-11-01

News

>Articles

A random inspection in Sweden found harmful substances in plastic products.

Can the U.S. "Right to Repair" Act for Electronic Products Reduce Electronic Waste?

Chinese consumers are willing to pay for "green electricity".

Maine, USA, bans button batteries containing PBDE and mercury.

亞洲的GMP趨勢與考驗

醫用材料的生物相容性測試－細胞毒性(ISO 10993-5)

Quarantine measures for wood packaging materials formulated by various countries

Conclusion

The impact of ISPM 15 on Taiwan and its response strategies

News

>Articles

A random inspection in Sweden found harmful substances in plastic products.

Can the U.S. "Right to Repair" Act for Electronic Products Reduce Electronic Waste?

Chinese consumers are willing to pay for "green electricity".

Maine, USA, bans button batteries containing PBDE and mercury.

亞洲的GMP趨勢與考驗

醫用材料的生物相容性測試－細胞毒性(ISO 10993-5)

Quarantine measures for wood packaging materials formulated by various countries

Conclusion

The impact of ISPM 15 on Taiwan and its response strategies