Wednesday, February 18, 2009
The CPSIA is Delayed but Still Requires Lead Testing Action
As the February 10th deadline for the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) approached, Skyray XRF (USA) received many panicked calls from retailers, importers and manufacturers looking for a last minute solution to the lead testing requirements. On January 30th, however, most of those contacts found slight relief in the one-year stay of enforcement that was granted by the CPSC.
The stay provides limited relief from the testing and certification requirements which go into effect on February 10, 2009 for total lead content limits (600 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 limits, mandatory toy standards and other requirements.
The stay on certification does not apply to a few areas of concern; two being
- Lead in paint and other surface coatings
- Lead content in metal components of children’s jewelry
In a press release announcing the stay, the CPSC noted:
“…The stay of enforcement provides some temporary, limited relief to the crafters, children’s garment manufacturers and toy makers who had been subject to the testing and certification required under the CPSIA. These businesses will not need to issue certificates based on testing of their products until additional decisions are issued by the Commission. However, all businesses, including, but not limited to, handmade toy and apparel makers, crafters and home-based small businesses, must still be sure that their products conform to all safety standards and similar requirements, including the lead and phthalates provisions of the CPSIA.
Handmade garment makers are cautioned to know whether the zippers, buttons and other fasteners they are using contain lead. Likewise, handmade toy manufacturers need to know whether their products, if using plastic or soft flexible vinyl, contain phthalates.”
We have seen that many organizations are using this stay of enforcement as an opportunity to be better prepared for when the CPSIA is enforced. The interest in Skyray XRF’s low-cost Handheld XRF Analyzer has not decreased at all since the announcement and our sister company (Eastern Applied Research) continues to provide third party lead testing services for organizations looking to be ahead of the curve…