EEC Nickel Directive

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.