- Steve Kahane, President of International Coatings
Consumer Product Safety Commission Recommends Extending Stay of Enforcement on Lead Testing; Stay of Enforcement on Phthalate Testing to Remain in Effect
Here is International Coatings' President, Steve Kahane, with the latest news on what is happening with the CPSC regulations:
"The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) staff is recommending that the stay of enforcement pertaining to total lead content in children’s products and certain related products be extended to September 14, 2011. The extension would not apply to metal components in metal jewelry. The stay is currently set to expire on February 10, 2011. A vote by the commission is expected by January 31
st.
CPSC staff is recommending the extension to allow time for the Commission to determine whether it’s technologically feasible to lower the amount of lead in children’s products to 100 ppm. CPSC staff feels that lifting the stay prior to that determination is unfair given the uncertainty of future testing limits and the consequent potential need for manufacturers and printers to perform duplicative tests of the same products. CPSC staff also feels that an extension of the stay would have the benefit of allowing the component testing rule to be completed and the market for certified component parts to develop, if possible. In the case of textiles, inks may be considered a component of a printed garment. In which case, the extension would allow time for International Coatings and other ink manufacturers, to put in place the necessary testing and certification programs required by the CPSC to support its textile printer customers.
In its announcement, CPSC noted that the stay of enforcement on testing and certification of children’s toys and child care articles for banned phthalates remains in effect. There are currently no labs accredited by the CPSC to perform this testing (although there are labs performing the tests.) The stay will not be lifted until the CPSC issues its accreditation requirements for labs (or as CPSC refers to them, third party conformity assessment bodies). Concerns have been raised about the current test methodology’s ability to accurately and consistently distinguish between banned and ‘compliant’ phthalates. "
