Important Labeling Changes

You may have seen, or will start to see, some language changes in our container labeling and product bulletins regarding lead content and phthalates.   These changes are made to lessen the confusion regarding content, but to clarify these changes, we have asked our Product Manager, John Hatcher, to elaborate on what the change in verbiage means:  Lead Content Our standard products are now labeled and referred to as "Lead Compliant".  For years, they were listed as "Lead Free." We made the switch to avoid any confusion as to whether our products contain any lead whatsoever or as indicated, are compliant with U.S. and major international lead standards.  While we don’t use any materials containing lead in our standard products, we know there still may be very small or trace amounts of lead contaminants present.  These traces of lead could be present in almost any ink and for that matter, many other products on the market today, including drinking and bottled water.  Products designated ‘Lead Compliant’ contain less than 90 ppm lead, which is the strictest current government limit for paint and similar surface coating materials.  In testing that we have done at independent labs, our ‘Lead Compliant’ products have all been well below this limit and in some cases below the detection limit of the analytical equipment.  Going forward, our updated product bulletins will state that our standard products are Lead Compliant.  We will drop the 'LF" and "LC" designations on our labeling.  For the few specialized products that contain lead, labels, MSDS and other technical information will be clearly marked. Phthalates We have begun using the term ‘Non-Phthalate’ in place of ‘Phthalate Free.’   We’re moving away from the ‘Phthalate Free’ designation because it can be interpreted as indicating that a product contains no phthalates whatsoever.  As with lead, there may be trace contaminants present that contain phthalates, even though the products comply with all regulatory limits.  International Coatings products labeled ‘Non-Phthalate’ or ‘NP’ are not formulated or manufactured with any ortho phthalates, the class of phthalates restricted for child care articles by the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission and other international regulatory bodies. Our Non-Phthalate products comply with the current U.S. and international standards relating to phthalates and those of many, if not all, of the large retailers.  It is important that printers satisfy themselves that any end products derived using International Coatings inks meet the applicable regulatory requirements. Please contact us if you have any questions or need any technical assistance. For more information regarding International Coatings' inks visit www.iccink.com.  For more info on Phthalates and the new regulation, please visit our Phthalate fact sheet.