BMG complies with Ruling
From July 2000 the European Nickel Directive is being enforced.
This legally applies to all body jewellery sold within the
EEC member countries Inc the United Kingdom. At present
many other countries Inc the United States of America have
no nickel regulations in force. For your own safety and
peace of mind BMG recommends that only nickel free jewellery
should be purchased for the long-term health of a body piercing.
The Nickel Directive:
Nickel can cause in some people, an allergic
reaction. Research has proven that sensation frequently
results from healing (epithelization) following a body piercing.
The regulations have been designed to reduce the sensation
allergic reaction to those people already sensitised. Body
jewellery inserted into the body during a piercing and worn
during the healing period, must contain less than 0.05%
nickel. Body jewellery worn after the healing period, must
release nickel at a rate of less than 0.05^g (microgram’s)
per square centimetre per week.
This legislation was introduced because statistically at
least 10% of the female population and 1% of the male population
suffer from an allergic reaction to Nickel, so the European
Union decided to control its use in an attempt over the
long term to reduce the numbers of people who suffer from
this reaction. The directive was passed on the 30th June
1994 and the tests required for implementation were published
in the Official Journal of the EC on the 20th July 1999.
In order to validate that goods for sale comply with the
Directive CEN was asked to produce three reference tests.
These have been produced by the CEN TC284 committee and
can be purchased from your national standards association.
Because the Spectacles Industry was unhappy with the destructiveness
of the Wear Test the Italian Spectacles Industry has devised
its own Wear Test.
Because these tests are costly, destructive, take up to
ten days to complete and require an analytical laboratory
CEN also has devised a scanning field test. While it mimics
the reference test method for Release of Nickel it can not
replace it.
Due to the controversy surrounding the implementation of
this directive - especially the lack of definitions concerning
key terms - it is likely that the directive will be reviewed
at the end of 2002. In the UK the negotiations will be handled
by the DTI. Industry input to this process is primarily
through the Nickel Working Group.
