European Parliament and Council Directive 94/27/EC of 30 June 1994 amending for the 12th time Directive 76/769/EEC on the approximation of the laws, regulations and administrative provisions of the Member States relating to restrictions on the marketing and use of certain dangerous substances and preparations
May not be used:
1. in post assemblies which are inserted into pierced ears and other pierced parts of the human body during epithelization of the wound caused by piercing, whether subsequently removed or not, unless such post assemblies are homogeneous and the concentration of nickel - expressed as mass of nickel to total mass - is less than 0,05 %;
2. in products intended to come into direct and prolonged contact with the skin such as:
- earrings,
- necklaces, bracelets and chains, anklets, finger rings,
- wrist-watch cases, watch straps and tighteners,
- rivet buttons, tighteners, rivets, zippers and metal marks, when these are used in garments
if the rate of nickel release from the parts of these products coming into direct and prolonged contact with the skin is greater than 0,5 ìg/cm²/week;
3. in products such as those listed in point 2 where these have a non-nickel coating unless such coating is sufficient to ensure that the rate of nickel release from those parts of such products coming into direct and prolonged contact with the skin will not exceed 0,5 ìg/cm²/week for a period of at least two years of normal use of the product.
Furthermore, products which are the subject of points 1, 2 and 3, may not be placed on the market unless they conform to the requirements set out in those points'.