The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has announced three new proposed rules and one new test method pertaining to the ongoing implementation of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA).
A draft proposed rule, dated March 31, 2010, pertains to the establishment and maintenance of a publicly available, searchable database on the safety of products that are regulated by the CPSC. The CPSIA requires that such a database be established no later than March 2011 and that it be accessible through the CPSC website. This proposed rule was the focus of a CPSC meeting which took place on April 7, 2010. This meeting can be viewed by clicking here.
A second proposed rule, dated April 1, 2010, establishes conditions and requirements for the testing of component parts of consumer products. This proposed rule also addresses specific requirements for lead and phthalates testing.
A third proposed rule, the so-called 15-month rule, also dated April 1, 2010, establishes requirements for general conformity certification of non-children’s products based upon reasonable testing programs, requirements for certification of children’s products based upon third-party testing, and requirements for a consumer product labeling program. The Staff Briefing Package on this proposed rule can be obtained by clicking here.
The contents of each of these three proposed rules will be discussed at the Commission’s meeting to be held on Thursday, April 15, 2010, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon (postponed from the meeting’s originally scheduled date of April 8, 2010). While this meeting is open to the public, it will not be webcast live. It will, however, be recorded and posted on the CPSC's website on the afternoon of April 15th, at which time it can be viewed by clicking here. A decision meeting for these proposed rules is scheduled for April 21, 2010.
On April 1, 2010, the CPSC published an updated method for testing phthalates. Test Method CPSC-CH-C1001-09.3, Standard Operating Procedure for Determination of Phthalates, differs from the previously published method in that it includes an optional step for prescreening a sample with the use of infrared (IR) spectroscopy for the purpose of obtaining a broad estimate of the sample’s phthalate concentration. This optional step can provide information that can then be used when deciding the dilution factor and analysis method later in the procedure.
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