On 25 November 2015, Department of Agriculture and Food under Standardisation Administration of the People's Republic of China consults opinions on General Safety Technical Requirements for Toothbrushes and Oral Implements, which ends on December 30. The draft sets forth the limit values for phthalates, hazardous elements, leaching volume of sulfur dioxide, etc.

It also clarifies terms and definitions, product categories, requirements, test methods of toothbrush and oral implements for daily use, also applicable to toothbrushes (adult toothbrush, children toothbrush, milling fibre toothbrush, molded bristle toothbrush, antibacterial toothbrush, and electrical brush) and oral implements (tongue scraper, toothpick, dental floss, floss pick, baby teethers) etc.

You may refer to the following tables for specific limits for phthalates and hazardous elements:
Table 1

Phthalate and its CAS number		Limit Value/%
DBP	CAS 84-74-2	DBP+ BBP+ DEHP≤0.1
BBP	CAS 85-68-7
DEHP	CAS 117-81-7
DNOP	CAS 117-84-0	DNOP+ DINP+ DIDP≤0.1
DINP	CAS 68515-48-0
	CAS 28553-12-0
DIDP	CAS 26761-40-0
	CAS 68515-49-1
Exemption should be granted when the sample of the single material is less than 10mg.

Table 2

Hazardous Elements and Limit Values (mg/kg)
Element	Sb	As	Ba	Cd	Cr	Pb	Hg	Se
Content	60	25	1000	75	60	90	60	500

In addition, the pH scope for milling fibre should be 5.5 to 8.0 and the leading volume of the sulfur dioxide should not exceed 600mg/kg. (Calculation based on SO₂).

Toothbrush and oral implements are greatly associated with our daily life, whose safety and hygiene indexes may affect human health.

It is noteworthy that the standard is mandatory (GB) once passed.

C&K Testing advises companies to track the amendment of the standard for prompt preparation and also strengthen quality control of the production by product testing.