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CPSC Vote Eliminates Third Party Testing Requirement for Children’s Toys and Child Care Articles with Certain Plastics

Release Date: August 29, 2017
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WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) voted unanimously 5 to 0 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 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).

Chairman and Commissioner Statements
Statement of Acting Chairman Ann Marie Buerkle

Release Number
17-213

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The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risk of injury or death associated with the use of thousands of types of consumer products. Deaths, injuries, and property damage from consumer product-related incidents cost the nation more than $1 trillion annually. CPSC's work to ensure the safety of consumer products has contributed to a decline in the rate of injuries associated with consumer products over the past 50 years. 

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