CPSC to Hold Feb 2 Meeting on New ATSM Toy Standard
The Consumer Product Safety Commission announced that it will hold a meeting on February 2, 2012 to discuss the new ASTM F963-11 toy standard. Changes made to the standard from the 2008 version include revisions to the section on heavy metals (e.g. cadmium), the introduction of compositing procedures, and new safety requirements and technical guidance for bath toy projections, acoustics and other potential safety hazards in toys. CPSC must decide within 180 days from its receipt of ASTM’s notification whether it will accept and replace the 2008 standard with ASTM F963-11 as federal law.
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(On January 1, 2012, CPSC lifted two-year-old stays of enforcement for the third party testing and certification requirements for lead content, phthalates, and the mandatory standard for toys -- ASTM F963-08 (Standard Consumer Safety Specification for Toy Safety). Therefore, all toys designed or intended primarily for children 12 years of age and younger will need to be third party tested and meet the certification requirements if they were manufactured after December 31, 2011. See ITT's Online Archives 11120820 for summary.)
CPSC Can Make 2011 Toy Standard Mandatory
Under the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA), CPSC can accept the new version of the standard and turn it into an updated mandatory standard. CPSC Chairman Tenenbaum stated that once CPSC accepts the new version of the standard, CPSC would issue new notices of requirements with respect to the changes in the new standard.
New Version Updates Heavy Metals, Bath Toys, & Other Requirements
The American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) states that the revisions incorporated into F963-11 include the following:
- Cadmium and Other Heavy Metals — Limits for heavy metals in toy substrates have been added to the existing surface coating requirements. A soluble approach for determination of heavy elements (e.g. cadmium) in toys and toy components has been maintained as this has been demonstrated to be more closely correlated than total content with the amount of element which is bioavailable, and therefore with risk of toxicity.
- Compositing Procedure for Total Heavy Metal Analysis — Revisions outline detailed procedures for accomplishing this end by specifying the conditions under which compositing is allowable, when a composite result may be relied upon without further testing, and when testing of individual samples must subsequently be performed.
- Bath Toy Projections — Revisions are intended to address the potential hazards that may be presented by vertical, or nearly vertical, rigid projections on bath toys. This requirement is intended to minimize possible puncture or other hazards to the skin that might be caused if a child were to fall on a rigid projection.
- Other revised areas -- Among other revised areas of the standard are sections on jaw entrapment; toys with spherical ends; stability of ride on toys; requirements for squeeze toys attached to rings; use of cords, straps and elastics; packaging film; and yo-yo tether balls.
(See ITT's Online Archives 09020205, 09122920, 11020232, 11020736, 11081011, and 11080315 for summaries of the stays of enforcement for the third party testing and certification requirements for lead content, phthalates, and ASTM F963-08 toy standard.)
A live webcast of the February 2, 2012 meeting can be viewed here.
ASTM press release (dated 12/15/11) stating ASTM F 963-11 was issued, available here.
ASTM article on new standard, appearing in Jan/Feb 2012 issue of Standardization News, available here.
FAQs on CPSC safety standard for children's toys (currently ASTM F 963-08 (2008) for all toys designed for use by children 14 years of age and younger and ASTM F 963-07ε1 for toy chests) are available here.
ASTM F963-11 can be purchased here.