Contact

What are you looking for?

New York State Regulates Lead in Children’s Jewelry

SafeGuardSToys and Juvenile Products, SoftlinesJanuary 03, 2020

The state of New York requires a warning statement for lead content in children’s jewelry. The labeling requirement will become effective on January 1, 2021.

On December 16, 2019, the Governor of the state of New York signed into law Assembly Bill A6041 (S4046) to regulate lead in children’s jewelry.  The new law contains, inter alia, several important provisions:

  • Providing a definition for children as under the age of 12
  • Providing a definition for jewelry
  • Requiring a warning statement on children’s jewelry or on a label on the immediate container of a children’s jewelry if lead content is greater than 40 ppm but less than 600 ppm or a lower Federal lead standard – this statement is not required if component parts are exempt from third-party testing as determined by the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (US CPSC).

According to the definitions in the new law, jewelry means any of the following ornaments worn by a person:

  1. Ankle bracelet, arm cuff, bracelet, brooch, chain, crown, cuff link, hair accessory, earring, necklace, decorative pin, ring, body piercing jewelry, jewelry placed in the mouth for display or ornament
  2. A charm, bead, chain, link, pendant, or other component in point 1 above
  3. A charm, bead, chain, link, pendant, or other attachment to shoes or clothing that can be removed and may be used as a component of an ornament in point 1 above
  4. A watch in which a timepiece is a component of an ornament in point 1 above, excluding the timepiece itself if the timepiece can be removed from the ornament 

Highlights of the new law are summarized in Table 1.

A6041 (S4046), Chapter 671, 2019
AN ACT TO AMEND THE ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION LAW, IN RELATION TO JEWELRY CONTAINING LEAD
SubstanceScopeRequirementEffective Date
Lead ContentJewelry for children under 12
(accessible component parts)
Paints or similar surface coatings:
≤ 40 ppm otherwise warning statement if exceeds 40 ppm but less than or equal to 90 ppm* 

Substrates:
≤ 40 ppm otherwise warning statement if exceeds 40 ppm but less than or equal to 100 ppm*
January 1, 2021
*Warning statement to contain at least ‘WARNING: CONTAINS LEAD. MAY BE HARMFUL IF EATEN OR CHEWED. COMPLIES WITH FEDERAL STANDARDS’

Table 1

SGS is committed to providing information about development in regulations for consumer products as complimentary services. Through a global network of laboratories, SGS provides a wide range of services including physical/mechanical testing, analytical testing and consultancy work for technical and non-technical parameters applicable to a comprehensive range of consumer products. Please do not hesitate to contact us for further information. 

For enquiries, please contact:

Hingwo Tsang
Global Information and Innovation Manager
t: (+852) 2774 7420

© SGS Group Management SA - 2020- All rights reserved - SGS is a registered trademark of SGS Group Management SA. This is a publication of SGS, except for 3rd parties’ contents submitted or licensed for use by SGS. SGS neither endorses nor disapproves said 3rd parties contents. This publication is intended to provide technical information and shall not be considered an exhaustive treatment of any subject treated. It is strictly educational and does not replace any legal requirements or applicable regulations. It is not intended to constitute consulting or professional advice. The information contained herein is provided “as is” and SGS does not warrant that it will be error-free or will meet any particular criteria of performance or quality. Do not quote or refer any information herein without SGS’s prior written consent.

Stay on top of regulatory changes within your industry
  • SGS SafeGuardS

1 Place des Alpes,

P.O. Box 2152, 1211,

Geneva, Switzerland