Regulations & Compliance for Consumer Product Testing

If you're a manufacturer or 3rd-party testing lab for consumer products you're being challenged to keep informed of the updates and changes being issued on what to test, how to test and when to test children's and consumer products. Whether you test for lead and other toxic metals, phthalates or BPA, the most recent updates from the Consumer Product Saftey Commission (CPSC) and EU are important to your business. Numerous new amendments and guidance are being and have been issued that you need to be aware of.

Updates - Lead & Toxic Metals
(CPSIA) New Flexibility Granted on Component Parts Testing Policy for Lead
- CPSC Extends the Stay of Enforcement on Testing and Certification Requirements for Many Children's Products (December 18, 2009).
(CPSIA) Children's Products Containing Lead;
- Interpretative Rule on Inaccessible Component Parts - FINAL RULE (Effective August 14, 2009).
Statement of Commission Enforcement Policy on Section 101 Lead Limits (02.06.09)
- In section 101, Congress made clear that the lead limits apply not only to products manufactured after the effective date, but also to products manufactured earlier (pdf). In August, these limits will drop to 300 ppm.
BSI BS EN 71-3
- This part of this European Standard specifies requirements and test methods for the migration of the elements antimony, arsenic, barium, cadmium, chromium, lead, mercury and selenium from toy materials and from parts of toys except materials not accessible (see part 1 of this standard).
Updates - Phthalates
(CPSIA) Statement of CPSC Commissioner Nancy Nord on Section 108
- Regarding Phthalates Component Testing, August 7, 2009.
(CPSIA) Test Method: CPSC-CH-C1001-09.2
- Standard Operation Procedure (SOP) for Determination of Phthalates, July 27, 2009.
Phthalates Ruling: Memorandum Opinion & Order: National Resources Defense Council v. CPSC
- Section 108 of the CPSIA, entitled “Prohibition on sale of certain products containing specified phthalates,” establishes a framework for the federal regulation of children’s toys and child care products containing phthalates.
CPSC: SOP for Determination of Phthalates (02.09.09)
- CPSC staff has concluded that these test methods are sufficient to determine the concentration of the 6 regulated phthalates in most consumer products.
Updates - Interest
Accreditation of 7 Laboratories as "Firewalled" 3rd-Party Conformity Assessment Bodies, July, 2009
- The staff recommended that the following laboratories be accredited for the requirements and test methods indicated.
(CPSIA) Statement of Policy:
- Testing of Component Parts with respect to Section 108 of the CPSIA, August 7, 2009.
(CPSIA) Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008
- To establish consumer product safety standards and other safety requirements for children’s products and to reauthorize and modernize the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
ASTM F963
- This specification relates to possible hazards that may not be recognized readily by the public and that may be encountered in the normal use for which a toy is intended or after reasonably foreseeable abuse. It does not purport to cover every conceivable hazard of a particular toy.
Proposed Revision of ASTM F963-07, May 2009
- On February 17, 2009, ASTM officially proposed replacing the current consumer product safety rule, F 963-07e1 with F 963-08.