Since the discovery of a large amount of PAHs in hammer handles in Germany in 2005, products containing PAHs have attracted public attention, and since then, such cases have occurred repeatedly. In November 2007, Germany's ZEK-01-08 document made a requirement for PAHs, requiring mandatory PAHs testing to be included in GS certification and controlling 16 PAHs. This regulation came into effect on April 1, 2008.

In order to comply with the new requirements for PAHs, at the ZEK meeting in September 2011, the German Technical Equipment and Consumer Goods Committee (AtAV) agreed to expand the original list of PAHs from 16 to 18 (adding two substances, benzo [j] fluoranthene and benzo [e] pyrene), applicable to the testing of all products. The German Safety Technology Certification Center (ZLS) released a new standard ZEK 01.4-08 on November 29, 2011, which requires products that have obtained GS Mark certification to have 18 mandatory PAHs from July 1, 2012; The GS Mark certification certificate issued from July 1, 2012 must comply with the new ZEK 01.4-08 regulations, and the original ZEK-01-08 will expire after June 30, 2012.

In August 2014, ATAV announced a new standard AfPS GS 2014:01 PAK to regulate PAHs in consumer products. The new standard was mandatory from July 1, 2015, and ZEK 01.4-08 expired after June 30, 2015.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon detection: Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) refer to a class of organic compounds with two or more benzene rings. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are hydrocarbons with two or more benzene rings in their molecules, including more than 150 compounds such as naphthalene, anthracene, phenanthrene, and pyrene. They are toxic pollutants formed by incomplete combustion or pyrolysis of mineral fuels (such as coal, oil, natural gas, etc.), wood, paper, and other hydrocarbons.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) have carcinogenicity, mutagenicity, and teratogenicity, and are mainly used in consumer products such as electronics, motors, rubber products, plastic products, automotive plastics, rubber parts, food packaging materials, toys, container materials, and so on. The EU Directive 76/769/EEC on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, the US EPA in the United States, the German Food and Daily Necessities Act (LFGB), and the German GS certification make testing for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) a mandatory requirement. According to the ZEK 01-08 document issued by the German Safety Technology Certification Center (ZLS), the German AtAV Committee (Technical Equipment and Consumer Goods) has decided to mandatory include PAHs testing in GS certification. This regulation came into effect on April 1, 2008, and all GS certification agencies will begin testing PAHs projects. Products that cannot pass the PAHs test will not be able to obtain the GS certification mark and will enter Germany smoothly. For products certified before April 1, 2008, a risk analysis for PAH must be conducted within one year. If they cannot comply with PAH regulations, the certification will be revoked.