Commercial Information Circulars
24-hour hotline : 23 922 922
e-mail address : enquiry@tid.gov.hk
Ref : EIC 111/3/10/1
7 January 2016
Dear Sirs,
Commercial Information Circular No. 27/2016
US : CPSC's Determination Regarding Heavy Elements Limits for Unfinished and Untreated Wood in Toys
The US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has recently announced a final rule that unfinished and untreated trunk wood in toys does not require third party testing for the heavy element limits in the CPSC's toy standard, ASTM F963-11, based on a determination that such wood does not contain heavy elements that would exceed the limits specified in that standard. The effective date of the final rule is 19 January 2016.
BACKGROUND
2.At present, toys subject to Consumer Safety Specifications for Toy Safety (i.e. ASTM F963-11), must be tested by a CPSC-accepted third party conformity assessment body and demonstrate compliance with all applicable CPSC requirements for the manufacturer to issue a Children's Product Certificate before the toys can be entered into commerce. Among other things, this standard requires that surface coating materials and accessible substrates of toys that can be sucked, mouthed or ingested comply with the solubility limits on eight heavy elements, viz. antimony, arsenic, barium, cadmium, chromium, lead, mercury and selenium.
3.The CPSC previously determined that certain materials do not exceed lead content limits and therefore do not require third party testing when used in children's products, including toys. For the remaining seven heavy elements, the CPSC determined that unfinished and untreated trunk wood complies with the solubility requirements for those heavy elements.
4.Please note that the determination only lifts the obligation to have unfinished and untreated wood tested by a third party party conformity assessment body. The underlying requirement that products subject to the toy standard comply with the standard's limits on heavy elements remains in place. For details, please refer to the Federal Register notice at: https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2015-12-17/pdf/2015-31723.pdf.
ENQUIRIES
5.For enquiries concerning this circular, please contact Mr Lewis LAU at telephone number 2398 5405.
Yours faithfully,
(Miss Janice LAU)
for Director-General of Trade and Industry