A google translate into English of the draft of NOM-232-SSA1-200 is available here:

Draft Norma Oficial Mexicana NOM-232-SSA1-2006, Pesticides: laying down the requirements of packaging and labelling of products for use in agriculture, forestry, livestock, gardening, urban, industrial and domestic.

This project is published so that interested parties, within 60 calendar days from the date of its publication, submit their comments in Spanish language and with sufficient technical support to the National Advisory Committee for Standardization Regulation and Health Promotion.

Click on the above link for the full draft of the regulations in Google-translated English. To read the draft in the original Spanish click here.

A Google translate version of a Recent DOF release:

Comments received regarding the Draft Norma Oficial Mexicana PROY-NOM-005-SCT/2006, emergency information for the transport of substances, hazardous materials and wastes, published on October 22, 2007…

Humberto Trevino LANDOIS, Undersecretary of Transportation and Chairman of the National Advisory Committee for Standardization Land Transportation and Air Transport, in conjunction with CHACON Alejandro Dominguez, Coordinator General of Ports and Merchant Navy and Chairman of the National Advisory Committee for Standardization of Maritime Transport and Ports, based on the provisions of Articles 36 paragraphs I, IV, VI, IX, XII, XIV, XVI, XVII, XVIII, XXV and XXVII of the Organic Law of the Federal Public Administration; 1o., 38 fraction II, 47 paragraphs I , II and III and 64 of the Federal Law on Standardization and Metrology and penultimate paragraph 33 of the Rules of the Federal Law on Standardization and Metrology, 6th. fraction XIII of the Internal Regulation of the Ministry of Communications and Transport and other laws that may apply, we have seen fit to order the publication of responses to comments received in respect of the Draft Norma Oficial Mexicana PROY-NOM-005-LAS-SCT / 2006, emergency information for the transport of substances, hazardous materials and wastes, published in the Diario Oficial de la Federación on October 22, 2007…

Once the comments were analysed and discussed at the meeting held on February 25 by the National Advisory Committee for Standardization of Shipping and Ports (CCNNTMP), as well as the ordinary session of the National Advisory Committee for Standardization of Land Transportation, (CCNN-TT) held on March 4, 2008, respectively, were resolved all comments received, and through this document are issued responses to them, as we mark the Law on the matter.

Click on the above link for the Google translate (English) version of the text, or click here for the original Spanish.

From the Government of Mexico - Draft procedures for conformity assessment of Norma Oficial Mexicana NOM-028-STPS-2004, Organization of work-safety processes chemicals. A google translate version of the amendments here:

That pursuant to the provisions of Articles 73 of the Federal Law on Standardization and Metrology and 80 of its Rules of Procedure, it is necessary to establish procedures for conformity assessment of standards Mexican official, when required for official purposes of verifying compliance the same;

That conformity assessment is determining the degree of compliance with the Mexican official standards and includes among others, the sampling procedures, testing, calibration, verification and certification;

Click on the link above for the Google translate version, or click for the Spanish version.

From the Government of Mexico - Draft amendments to the Norma Oficial Mexicana NOM-017-STPS-2001, Personal Protective Equipment-selection, use and management in the workplace, to be as PROY-NOM-017-STPS-2007, Personal Protective Equipment - Selection, use and management in the workplace. A google translate version of the amendments here:

The Bill clarifies, updates and supplements the health and safety requirements with which employers must have in the workplace for the selection, use and management of personal protective equipment (PPE), with the aim to protect workers physical agents and working environment which can damage their health and integrity.

It reorganizes the standard for ease of application and the procedure is included conformity assessment that establishes the criteria for compliance with each provision, which gives legal certainty to individuals in the process of inspection and verification centres work.

The draft changes the identification and selection of an EPP Mandatory Appendix to a Reference Guide, which gives the employer the option to use other methods to determine the personal protective equipment for their employees and visitors center work. This means an improvement since it was reduced from three to two, the tables for determining the personal protective equipment, which allows better information management and the precise contents of the records of the selection of protective equipment staff.

Click on the link above for the Google translate version, or click here for the Spanish version.

From the Malaysian Star:

THE annual meeting of the Codex Committee on Food Labelling (CCFL) was held in Ottawa during the first week of May. Hosted by the government of Canada, the 36th meeting of CCFL was attended by close to 300 delegates representing 72 member countries, one Member Organization, European Community and 27 international organisations…

After almost 50 years, the Programme has established the Codex Alimentarius (Latin, meaning food law or food code). This is a collection of standards, codes of practice, guidelines and other recommendations that serve to provide guidance to governments for their respective national food control systems. It aims to achieve international harmonisation in food quality and safety requirements.

More than 200 specific commodity standards for individual foods or groups of foods have been developed. In addition, a number of horizontal standards have been published to cover general topics, including food labelling, nutrition and foods for special dietary uses, food additives, contaminants and methods of analysis and sampling…

A full report of the 36th Session of CCFL can be obtained from www.codexalimentarius.net/web/index_en.jsp in the next few weeks.

More information can be found by clicking on the links.

Published recently in Mexico’s Diario Oficial de la Federación - Response to comments received in respect of the Draft Amendment to Norma Oficial Mexicana NOM-003-SSA1-1993, Environmental Health. A Google Translate version in English is available here. Of particular interest is this:

The provisions on the labelling should be consistent with the parameters Globally Harmonized System (GHS)

The label should include the pictogram of normative Appendix A in an area of 1.5% of the total area of the label. The framework of the pictogram must be red, the symbol black and white background as well as the following legend:

a) All products covered by this rule, except those manufactured for use school:

ATTENTION harmful if swallowed .

Click on the above link for the full Google translated English text. For the official Spanish text click here.

From the EPA’s High Production Volume (HPV) Challenge Program:

The US, Canada, and Mexico will work together to ensure the safe manufacture and use of industrial chemicals. The partnership will be built on EPA’s ongoing efforts to study and characterize the risks of chemicals that are produced in high volumes. The US is committing to complete, by 2012, risk characterizations and initiate needed actions on more than 9,000 chemicals produced above 25,000 pounds per year in the country.

The EPA provides a number of links, including:

• Joint Statement from the North American Leaders’ Summit (PDF)
• EPA’s press release on the U.S.-Canada-Mexico partnership
• Partnership framework document

Thank you to reader Mark G. for the link.

An article on ConsumerAffairs discusses a $1 million settlement by Pepsico for a Prop 65 violation:

Pepsi has agreed to eliminate leaded labels on bottled soft drinks imported from Mexico to resolve California’s allegations that Pepsi violated the state’s Proposition 65 by failing to warn consumers the bottles’ labels contained lead, a toxic substance that can cause birth defects, learning disabilities and cancer.

Prop. 65 and other state food safety laws would be pre-empted by a bill recently passed by the U.S. House and currently awaiting a vote in the Senate — H.R. 4167, “The National Uniformity for Food Act of 2005.” If the federal legislation had been law, Pepsi could have continued to sell Mexican sodas in bottles with leaded labels until the federal government took action.

“This settlement is a classic example of why California’s Proposition 65 is a law that works,” said state Attorney General Bill Lockyer. “Not only does the law require manufacturers to warn the public about the risk of exposure to harmful chemicals, it gives companies incentive to make their products safer. I congratulate Pepsi for meeting that challenge, taking the path of responsible corporate conduct and helping reduce Californians’ exposure to this extremely dangerous substance.”

Regulatory Compliance companies such as Nexreg Compliance can assist your company in meeting their Prop 65 requirements, which can save your company a great deal of headaches from cases like this.

Source: ConsumerAffairs.com.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) today announced an agreement with the Mexican government aimed at further improving consumer safety and making both the United States and Mexican marketplaces among the safest in the world. This agreement is also part of the “Security and Prosperity Partnership” between the U.S., Mexico, and Canada.

CPSC Chairman Hal Stratton and Carlos Francisco Arce Macías, Federal Attorney for Consumer Protection of the United Mexican States (Profeco), signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) at a ceremony in Bethesda, Md. The agreement calls for both agencies to work toward reducing product-related deaths and injuries in both countries, by exchanging information about product recalls, violations of federal safety laws, and enforcement actions. In addition, CPSC and Profeco will share scientific data, information on emerging hazards, safety research, hazard reduction strategies and notification of changes in product safety laws. The agreement also calls for both agencies to share inspection and laboratory test results, when appropriate.

Source