EU Extended DMF Ban Period Again

March 25th, Wenzhou entry and exit inspection and Quarantine Bureau said yesterday that the European Union has announced that it will once again extend the product inflow of two methyl fumarate (DMF) containing biological inhibitor.

Fumarate two methyl ester is an efficient and low toxic mildew proof agent. It emerged in the 80s of last century and is widely used in furniture industry and footwear industry in China. However, it may cause skin allergies, rashes or burns.

This is the second time the European Union has announced the extension of the ban period of two methyl fumarate.

In 2009,

Wenzhou entry exit inspection and Quarantine Bureau said that the two methyl fumarate cases were mainly concentrated on footwear products, and Wenzhou footwear products had been the worst hit area of the European Union's two methyl fumarate bulletin, 2009 Wenzhou.

Through unremitting efforts, Wenzhou footwear was notified by the EU in 2010, and zero notification was achieved from 7 to December.

However, from the inspection results of laboratory materials of Wenzhou entry exit inspection and Quarantine Bureau, although the situation has improved, it is still not optimistic: in 2010, 908 samples were tested for mould proof products, and 23 were detected.

In addition, the European footwear companies usually pay more attention to the fumaric acid two methyl ester, and ignore the risk of methyl fumarate in the synthetic leather, because some synthetic leather manufacturers adopt wet process. In order to prevent mildew, the two methyl esters of fumaric acid will be added to the production process, too.

For this reason, the inspection and Quarantine Department reminded the European shoe enterprises to strengthen the mould proofing products, mould proofing agents, desiccant and other products, and ensure the safety of the two methyl fumarate project.