Fact Sheet: Lamp oils and similar fuels
Lamp oils and similar fuels may not contain colour or perfume.
The following applies to lamp oils and similar fuels:
- Lamp oils or similar fuels containing colour or perfume may not be sold.
- Selling dyes as additives to colourless lamp oils is prohibited.
Requirements for labelling lamp oils
If you sell colourless lamp oils or similar fuels, the packaging must be labelled with the text "keep lamps filled with this liquid out of reach of children". The text on the label must be legible and indelible.
Exemptions
If the substance or product contains dye for tax reasons the prohibition does not apply.
If the products are sold in packaging of more than 15 litres, or if the products do not harm the lungs and thus are not labelled with health warning R65, the prohibition does not apply either.
Lamp oils may damage children’s lungs
The rules aim to avoid injury to children’s lungs if they drink lamp oils or similar fuels that due to their colour or smell may seem tempting. If this kind of substance is drunk, a few drops may easily come into contact with the lungs and cause damage.
The supplier is responsible
Anyone who is responsible for selling lamp oils, fuels or dyes for lamp oils is responsible for ensuring that the rules are met, as set out in the Statutory Order.
The Environmental Protection Agency's chemical inspectors monitor compliance with the rules, and ensure that illegal situations are brought into compliance. This may involve withdrawing the product from the Danish market, or making the product legal in some other way. Anyone who breaches the rules may additionally be subject to a fine or a prison sentence of up to two years.
More information
The entire text of the regulations is available (in Danish) on the Retsinfo website: Statutory Order no. 380 of 19 June 1998 amending Statutory Order on limitation of sale and use of some dangerous chemical substances and products for specific purposes (Danish title: Miljøministeriets bekendtgørelse nr. 380 af 19. Juni 1998 om ændring af bekendtgørelse om begrænsning af salg og anvendelse af visse farlige kemiske stoffer og produkter til specielt angivne formål).
The Statutory Order is an addition to: Statutory Order from the Ministry of the Environment no. 1042 of 17 December 1997 on limitation of sale and use of some dangerous chemical substances and products for specific purposes. (at retsinfo.dk) (Danish title: Miljøministeriets bekendtgørelse nr. 1042 af 17. december 1997 om begrænsning af salg og anvendelse af visse farlige kemiske stoffer og produkter til specielt angivne formål).
The health warnings are in: Statutory Order of the Ministry of the Environment no. 734 of 31 July 2000 on classification, packaging, selling and storing of chemical substances and products (at retsinfo.dk) (Danish title: Miljøministeriets bekendtgørelse nr. 734 af 31. Juli 2000 om klassificering, emballering, mærkning, salg og opbevaring af kemiske stoffer og produkter ).