Many paint products exceeding reviewed GB’s VOC content limits found by customs across China 
Many customs offices across China reported that they detected paint products exceeding VOC content limits of reviewed national standards (GBs) during inspections from January through March 2021. Here are some of those cases.
Gongbei Customs of Zhuhai city find paints exceeding formaldehyde content limit
The General Administration of Customs on March 17, 2021 said Gongbei Customs of Zhuhai city, Guangdong Province found that paint products imported by a Zhuhai-based trading company exceeded a formaldehyde content limit, and ordered the company to return these products. The paint products were worth about 160,000 yuan (approximately 2,670,000 yen) in total. This is the third case where the Limit of Harmful Substances of Architectural Wall Coatings (GB 18582-2020; effective December 1, 2020) was applied.
You can read the details on this page of the General Administrations of Customs’ website (in simplified Chinese):
http://www.customs.gov.cn/customs/xwfb34/302425/3579648/index.html
Xinsha Customs of Guangzhou city find illegal paints substantially exceeding VOC content limits
Local media on March 12, 2021 reported that Xinsha Customs, affiliated with Huangpu Customs of Guangzhou city, Guangdong Province found imported paint products exceeding VOC content limits in two successive cases. On-site and laboratory tests revealed that detected glycol ethers, ether esters and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons content exceeded the Limit of Harmful Substances of Industrial Protective Coatings (GB 30981-2020; effective December 1, 2020) by 5–17 times. A re-export order was issued against the above products, so that the importer must return them in accordance with the order.
Shanghai Customs seize paints exceeding VOC content limits
Shanghai Customs detected paint products exceeding the VOC content limits set by the Limit of Harmful Substances of Industrial Protective Coatings (GB 30981-2020) during inspections in January 2021 and seized a total of 6 kg of imported paint products in four violation cases. Those products are expected to be disposed of. These are the first cases of Shanghai Customs applying the reviewed GB to illegal paints.
Tianjin Customs find illegal paint products exceeding VOC content limit by over 40 percent
Tianjin Customs found during inspections that about 80 units of paint products imported by a company (1.2 kg in total; imported as “asphalt”) contained 794.4g/L of VOCs, exceeding the Limit of Harmful Substances of Industrial Protective Coatings (GB 30981-2020) by 44.4 percent. They ordered the company to return these products.
