Heavy Metals

Germany BfR Issues FAQ on Methylmercury in Fish for Pregnant and Breastfeeding Women

In April 2026 Germany’s Federal Institute for Risk Assessment issued a detailed FAQ on methylmercury in fish, warning that pregnant and breastfeeding women should limit high-mercury species while still benefiting from regular fish intake. By linking EFSA’s methylmercury intake limit with EU mercury maximum levels in fish, the guidance reinforces existing contaminant standards and highlights species- and age-specific exposure risks that food businesses should factor into product sourcing and consumer communication.

25 May 2026, 17:12bfr.bund.deGermany

Washington PQAC Petition Seeks To Designate Elemental Mercury and Methylmercury as Poisons

In April 2026, a Washington dentist petitioned the state Pharmacy Quality Assurance Commission to classify elemental mercury and methylmercury as “poisons” and to tighten associated labelling, licensing and dental amalgam controls. If the commission pursues this request, mercury-containing products and dental practices in Washington could face significantly stricter requirements and costs, signalling heightened regulatory scrutiny of mercury exposures.

25 May 2026, 17:10content.govdelivery.comUnited States

Poland Trade Inspection Finds Excessive Heavy Metals and Phthalates in Consumer Products

Poland’s Trade Inspection has reported that 7% of 332 sampled batches of jewellery, PVC tablecloths, leather goods and textiles exceeded legal limits for cadmium, lead, phthalates and chromium(VI). This signals robust enforcement of REACH Annex XVII restrictions in the Polish consumer market, meaning brands and importers must tighten supply-chain controls and testing for chemical contaminants in accessories and home textiles.

25 May 2026, 17:09uokik.gov.plPoland

New York Senate Advances Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act (S01464A) to Third Reading

The New York Senate has advanced the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act (S01464A) to third reading, moving a far-reaching packaging extended producer responsibility bill for packaging and single-use plastics closer to passage. If enacted, large producers of packaged goods would need to register with a state-approved organisation, finance recycling infrastructure, cut packaging use, increase reuse and recycled content, and phase out PFAS and other toxic substances from packaging over the coming decade.

24 May 2026, 21:23nysenate.govUnited States

US Commerce Imposes Provisional Antidumping Duties on Chromium Trioxide From India

In May 2026 the US Department of Commerce issued a preliminary affirmative antidumping determination on chromium trioxide imports from India, triggering provisional 12 percent cash deposits and suspension of liquidation from 22 May 2026. Importers and downstream users should expect higher near-term costs and potential supply disruption while monitoring for further duty changes ahead of Commerce’s final decision, due by early October 2026.

23 May 2026, 19:28federalregister.govUnited States

US Commerce Preliminary Antidumping Determination on Chromium Trioxide From Türkiye

The US Department of Commerce has issued a preliminary affirmative antidumping determination that chromium trioxide imports from Türkiye are being sold in the United States at less than fair value, with 40.88% provisional duties to apply from Federal Register publication in May 2026. This sharply increases costs and trade compliance risk for US importers and downstream users of hexavalent chromium chemicals, and signals that supply chains should plan for sustained high duty exposure ahead of the final determination.

23 May 2026, 11:15public-inspection.federalregister.govUnited States

Norway Implements EU Cadmium Limits for Tigernuts and Cultivated Mushrooms

Norway has implemented and notified EEA incorporation of EU Regulation 2023/1510, which adjusts cadmium limits for tigernuts and certain cultivated mushrooms under the EU contaminants framework. Food business operators supplying these products into Norway and the wider EEA should confirm that product cadmium levels comply with the revised maximum limits and align monitoring and risk assessments with the updated contaminant regime.

23 May 2026, 11:12regjeringen.noEuropean UnionEuropean Economic AreaNorway

Netherlands Publishes Q1 2026 Overview of Implemented and Pending EU Directives

The Dutch parliament has published a Q1 2026 overview of EU directive transposition, confirming implementation of the new lead and diisocyanate occupational exposure limit directive and highlighting numerous environment and climate files still pending in the Netherlands. This gives compliance teams clear visibility that Dutch law already reflects the stricter OELs, while signalling that major air, water, waste, energy-efficiency and asbestos measures remain open and should be factored into medium-term regulatory planning.

23 May 2026, 09:16zoek.officielebekendmakingen.nlNetherlands

EEA Joint Committee Decision 24/2026 Incorporates RoHS Lead Exemption Directives Into Annex II to the EEA Agreement

EEA Joint Committee Decision 24/2026, published on 21 May 2026, incorporates three EU RoHS delegated directives granting specific lead-use exemptions into Annex II of the EEA Agreement. This aligns electrical and electronic equipment substance restriction requirements in EEA EFTA States with the latest EU RoHS regime, giving manufacturers access to the same lead exemptions and influencing materials and compliance planning.

23 May 2026, 08:47eur-lex.europa.euEuropean Economic AreaEuropean Union

EEA Incorporates EU RoHS Lead Exemption for Glass and Ceramic Components

The EEA Joint Committee has brought Commission Delegated Directive (EU) 2025/2363, which renews and restructures RoHS lead exemptions for glass and ceramic components in electrical and electronic equipment, into the EEA Agreement. Electronics manufacturers selling into the EU and EEA now have harmonised but time-limited exemptions ending in 2027, and should plan substitution and redesign of affected leaded glass and ceramic parts within this window.

23 May 2026, 08:47eur-lex.europa.euEuropean UnionEuropean Economic Area

Delaware Enacts HB 312 Updating Childhood Lead Testing Definition

Delaware has enacted HB 312, effective 21 May 2026, updating its Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Act to broaden the statutory definition of confirmatory lead testing for children. The change allows confirmed cases to be based on two capillary blood screenings as well as venous draws, so healthcare providers and public health programs must update testing protocols and prepare for related regulatory changes that improve early detection of lead exposure.

22 May 2026, 18:58legis.delaware.govUnited States

New York Assembly Bill A07594B on PFAS, PAHs and Lead in Playground Surfacing Reported to Codes and Rules

New York lawmakers are advancing Bill A07594B to add new Environmental Conservation Law provisions restricting PFAS, PAHs and lead in playground surfacing materials, with sales of non-compliant products banned after 2028. If enacted, playground surfacing manufacturers and installers serving New York would need to reformulate products, provide credible certificates of compliance, and manage new civil penalty risk tied to future regulatory thresholds.

22 May 2026, 18:56assembly.state.ny.usUnited States

Environmental Health Perspectives Publishes Study on Drinking-Water Contaminants and Ovarian Cancer Risk in California Teachers Cohort

A new Environmental Health Perspectives study links long-term exposure to regulated drinking-water contaminants in California community water systems with increased ovarian cancer risk, even where concentrations are predominantly below current standards. These findings strengthen the case for California and US drinking-water regulators to reassess nitrate and uranium limits, consider mixture effects, and prioritise monitoring in smaller, nonmetropolitan systems serving women of reproductive age.

22 May 2026, 18:55pubs.acs.orgUnited States

US EPA Region 8 Allocates $27.456 Million Per State to Reduce Lead in Drinking Water

US EPA is allocating $27.456 million in Drinking Water State Revolving Fund financing to each Region 8 state to accelerate replacement of lead service lines under a $2.9 billion national programme. This strengthens funding for utilities in Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming to plan and deliver lead pipe replacement projects needed to meet existing safe drinking water obligations and reduce long-term public health risk.

22 May 2026, 18:50epa.govUnited States

Netherlands Publishes Partial Health-Effects Report on Additional JLoI Measures for Tata Steel IJmuiden

The Netherlands has released a partial health-effects assessment of additional dust-control measures under the Joint Letter of Intent with Tata Steel IJmuiden, estimating that reduced PM2.5 and PM10 emissions would cut the company’s contribution to local particulate pollution by around 11–17 percent and deliver modest but quantifiable gains in life expectancy and healthy life years for nearby residents. This signals that quantified public-health benefits and particulate-matter reductions will be central criteria in the forthcoming tailor-made agreement and subsidy decisions for Tata Steel, foreshadowing tighter integration of health metrics and monitoring into future industrial emissions policy.

22 May 2026, 18:48zoek.officielebekendmakingen.nlNetherlands

Vermont Adopts Toxic Heavy Metals Rules For Baby Food Products

Vermont has enacted H.536, a law requiring baby food sold in the state to meet U.S. FDA limits for arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury, backed by mandatory testing, public disclosure and QR-code labelling from 1 January 2027. Baby food and, later, infant formula brands supplying Vermont will need to tighten formulations, quality control and transparency to stay aligned with evolving FDA heavy metal standards and to avoid enforcement under the state Consumer Protection Act.

21 May 2026, 06:39legislature.vermont.govUnited States

Peru Supreme Court Upholds Compensation Order Against Yanacocha and RANSA for Choropampa Mercury Spill

In January 2026, Peru’s Supreme Court made final a civil judgment holding Minera Yanacocha and RANSA jointly liable to pay court-ordered compensation to three victims of the 2000 Choropampa mercury spill. The ruling underscores long-tail legal and financial exposure for toxic spills in Peru’s mining sector, reinforcing the need for robust transport controls, remediation planning, and human-rights due diligence across Andean operations.

21 May 2026, 06:39grufides.orgPeru

CDPH Warns Consumers Not to Eat Brad’s Plant Based Products

In May 2026, the California Department of Public Health warned consumers and retailers that multiple Brad’s Plant Based kale and salad snack products contain elevated levels of the toxic heavy metal thallium and should be removed from sale. This advisory highlights significant food-safety and heavy-metal contamination risk across U.S. retail channels, prompting manufacturers and retailers to review sourcing, testing, and recall-readiness for similar plant-based snack products.

21 May 2026, 06:36cdph.ca.govUnited States

US FDA Issues Warning Letter To La Crema De Rebeca Over Mercury-Containing Skin Cream

In May 2026, the US FDA issued a warning letter to La Crema De Rebeca over a mercury-containing skin lightening cream marketed online as an unapproved and misbranded drug. The action underscores heightened enforcement against unsafe cosmetic and drug products and forces the company—and similar marketers of skin treatments—to strengthen product safety, labelling, and compliance controls.

20 May 2026, 19:59fda.govUnited States

US FDA Warning Letter to Lus Essentials LLC Over Mercury-Containing Skin-Lightening Products

In May 2026, the US FDA issued a warning letter to Lus Essentials LLC after finding that two skin-lightening and acne products contained high levels of mercury and were being sold as unapproved, misbranded drugs in the United States. Manufacturers, importers, and online sellers of topical cosmetic or drug products should urgently reassess formulations, labelling, and supplier controls for undeclared mercury to avoid similar enforcement actions, forced corrective measures, and potential market disruption.

20 May 2026, 19:56fda.govUnited States