Information for Labs Testing Consumer Products

Hazardous content in consumer products has become a growing concern. Governments are enacting new regulations to boost consumer confidence and provide a measure of safety for these products.

Numerous new amendements to laws have been enacted, companies need to be aware of what it means to the products they make / import and to their business. The most prominent of these consumer products are those for children under the age of 12.
(CPSC lead stay update December 18, 2009)

Third Party Laboratory Information
CPSIA - Third Party Testing Laboratory Accreditation
Register as a Third Party Laboratory with the CPSC
- for Testing Compliance with 16 C.F.R Part 1303 (lead paint), 16 C.F.R Part 1508 (full-size cribs), 16 C.F.R. Part 1509 (non-full-size cribs), 16 C.F.R. Part 1511 (pacifiers), 16 C.F.R. Part 1501 (small parts), or CPSC Test Method CPSC-CH-E1001-08 (chidren's metal jewelry).
CPSIA - List of Accredited Testing Laboratories
International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation
- An alphabetical list, by economy, of ILAC members and contact details.
Accreditation of 7 Labs 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.
CPSC Laboratory Test Methods
Test Method: CPSC-CH-E1003-09
- Standard Operating Procedure for Determining Lead (Pb) in Paint and Other Similar Surface Coatings, April 26, 2009.
Test Method: CPSC-CH-C1001-09.1
- Standard Operating Procedure for Determination of Phthalates, March 3, 2009.
Test Method: CPSC-CH-E1002-08
- Standard Operating Procedure for Determining Total Lead (Pb) in Non-Metal Children’s Products, February 1, 2009.
Test Method: CPSC-CH-E1001-08
- Standard Operating Procedure for Determining Total Lead (Pb) in Children’s Metal Products (Including Children’s Metal Jewelry), December 4, 2008 .
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
XRF- Lead
CPSC- Study on the Effectiveness, Precision, and Reliability of XRF and Other Alternative Methods for Measuring Lead in Paint (August 2009)
- X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometry has the potential to accurately measure lead content in painted films on children's products at the limits required under the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) of2008, but appropriate standard reference materials (SRMs) and standard analytical methods need to be developed before a complete evaluation or determination is possible.
(CPSIA) CPSC Grants One Year Stay of Testing and Certification Requirements for Certain Products
-Significant to makers of children’s products, the vote by the Commission provides limited relief from the testing and certification requirements which go into effect on February 10, 2009 for new total lead content limits (600 ppm), phthalates limits for certain products (1000 ppm), and mandatory toy standards, among other things. Manufacturers and importers – large and small – of children’s products will not need to test or certify to these new requirements, but will need to meet the lead and phthalates limits, mandatory toy standards and other requirements. The stay will remain in effect until February 10, 2010, at which time a Commission vote will be taken to terminate the stay.
(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.