The United States (US) Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) voted unanimously 5 to 0 to remove 7 plastics from the requirement to conduct independent third party testing for compliance with the mandatory phthalates prohibitions on children’s toys and child care articles. The decision reduces the burden of third-party testing while assuring compliance with CPSC requirements.
The rule goes into effect 30 days after publication in the Federal Register.
What businesses are affected by this change in CPSC legislation?
If your business imports, manufactures, retails, or distributes children’s toys and/or child care articles in the US, you need to be aware of this change in legislation.
Which 7 Plastics have been removed from the CPSC testing requirement?
The CPSC determined that children’s toys and child care articles containing the following plastics with specified additives would comply with CPSC’s requirements with a high degree of assurance:
- Polypropylene (PP)
- Polyethylene (PE)
- High-impact polystyrene (HIPS)
- Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS)
- General-purpose polystyrene (GPPS)
- Medium-impact polystyrene (MIPS)
- Super-high-impact polystyrene (SHIPS)
Does this change in CPSC legislation affect your testing requirements for children’s toys and child care articles?
Based on this determination, the plastics listed above with specified additives do not require third party testing for prohibited phthalates. BLC do however advise that all children’s toys and child care articles are tested for chemical compliance with the relevant industry regulation for the geographical area of retail.
BLC can support your business to carry out the necessary chemical compliance testing to a number of international regulations:
United States
European Union
- EU Packaging Directive Testing
- REACH Regulations and Compliance: Annex XVII and SVHC Testing
- Toy Safety Directive (EN71) Testing (European Union)
China
What are the limits for phthalates in plastics for children’s toys in the US?
The manufacture, sale, distribution or importation into the United States of children’s toys and child care articles containing concentrations of more than 0.1 percent of six specified phthalates is still regulated under section 108 of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA).
Contact BLC Today for CPSC Testing
If your business requires chemical compliance testing or testing for restricted substances, such as phthalates, contact BLC today to discuss your chemical testing needs. You can get in touch via email to info@blcchemicaltesting.com or telephone BLC on +44 (0)1604 679 999.
For further information on this news article, visit the CPSC website and the Federal Register Notice.