Safety Information Regarding Printing Ink

The raw materials, production processes, and usage of inks can cause environmental pollution and pose risks to human health. Heavy metals (such as lead, mercury, cadmium, nickel, and hexavalent chromium) and their compounds, as well as toxic organic solvents (such as methanol, formaldehyde, and phenol) found in ink raw materials, contribute to environmental pollution.
To implement the *Environmental Protection Law of the People's Republic of China* and minimize the impact of inkjet printing inks on human health and the environment during production, use, and disposal, the standard *Technical Requirements for Environmental Labeling Products – Inkjet Printing Inks* was established. This standard prohibits the intentional addition of elements such as lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), cadmium (Cd), nickel (Ni), and hexavalent chromium (Cr6+)-or their compounds-to water-based inks, and sets limits on harmful substances such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs), ammonia and its compounds, methanol, formaldehyde, and phenol. For solvent-based inks, limits are imposed on the content of benzene-series solvents, halogenated hydrocarbon solvents, methanol, and heavy metals; the technical specifications reference standards such as HJ/T 371-2007.
Ink products must comply with quality, safety, and hygiene standards, and corporate pollutant emissions must meet national and local regulations. Plastic packaging containers for ink must not contain substances such as polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), or chlorinated paraffins.
Enterprises must provide users with compliant Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS), which should include recommendations for the disposal of spills and residual ink. Used ink packaging containers should be recyclable.