The U.S. Products Safety Commission (CPSC) voted unanimously to remove seven 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.
The Commission determined that children’s toys and child care articles containing polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE), high-impact polystyrene (HIPS), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), general-purpose polystyrene (GPPS), medium-impact polystyrene (MIPS), and super-high-impact polystyrene (SHIPS) with specified additives would comply with CPSC’s requirements with a high degree of assurance. Based on this determination, the seven plastics with specified additives do not require third party testing for prohibited phthalates.
The manufacture, sale, distribution, or importation into the U.S. 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).
