Health and environment were decisive to regulatory maximum limits for heavy metal levels
The customs risk system of Receita Federal in Brazil intercepted two containers that arrived from China with 16 tons of jewels. What was the suspicion? Fiscal problems. They was only expect that the declared value by suppliers were below what it should be. However, another discovery worried who used to buy metal products in the composition: high levels of heavy metals was find with variation of 32% and 39%. The high heavy metals levels – mainly lead and cadmium – put at risk not only the population in risk, but also cause environmental damage.
Time to change
The high heavy metals levels scenery was just possible due to lack of supervision, according to Eng. Chemical Marcela Jochade. “The jewelry was not subject to Sanitary Surveillance,” says Marcela, who explains how the health of the population could be compromise. “The short-term or long-term effects of exposure to these metals notably affect renal and hepatic functions, as well as being carcinogenic,” she adds.
This context inspired changes. Due to the high toxicity of heavy metals, Inmetro published, on January 28, 2015, in Official Gazette of the Union, Ordinance No. 60. At the time, cadmium and lead limits were establish in the manufacture or importation of imitation jeweler and jewelry marketed in Brazil. The standard was update on January 22, 2016, when the current Ordinance No. 43 was originate. Marcela explains that the Ordinance informs that it is compulsory that all jeweler, to be manufactured and / or imported from the beginning of 2019, must have analyzed the concentration of lead and cadmium in the metal constituent of the product. The stipulated maximum limit for each metal by weight is 0,01% for cadmium and 0,03% for lead.
Laura Angélica De Pauli, an employee of LABELO, puts into question the incentive that the national industry receives with the Ordinance. Places such as the United States and Europe, for example, contemplate limits of cadmium and lead – Limits, inclusively, that served as basis for Brazilian adaptation. “The export to these places has been hampered by the lack of regulation. It questions the quality of Brazilian products, “analyzes Laura.
Performance of the LABELO
Marcela explains that, with Ordinance n ° 43/2016, Inmetro informs that the manufacturer and / or importer must keep a record of the performance of tests in a laboratory accredited by Cgcre regarding the content of the metals present in the products. “The goal of Inmetro is to prevent the entry of irregular products and low quality,” analyzes the engineer.
LABELO has been accredit since July 2016 to characterize the metals present in the sample by means of the X-ray and ICP-OES (inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry) method. According to Laura, the LABELO has knowledge, structure and qualified personnel to carry out tests for the Ordinance. “We have extensive experience in analyzing various products. In fact, we were pioneers in meeting resolutions and similar ordinances,” she concludes.
