Contact

What are you looking for?

US CPSC Exempts Certain Fibers from Third Party Testing

SafeGuardSToys and Juvenile ProductsJune 05, 2020

The US CPSC exempts several unfinished manufactured fibers in toys and childcare articles from undergoing third party testing. The final rule will become effective on July 1, 2020.

On June 1, 2020 the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (US CPSC) issued a final rule in the Federal Register (85 FR 33015) to determine that several unfinished manufactured fibers would not exceed the regulatory limits for ASTM F963 soluble elements or phthalates in toys and childcare articles. From the determinations, these fibers would not be required to undergo third party testing for compliance with the eight soluble elements in ASTM F963 (16 CFR 1250) or the eight phthalates in toys and child care articles falling under 16 CFR 1307

According to the definitions in the final rule, an unfinished manufactured fiber means ‘a fiber that has no chemical additives beyond those required to manufacture the fiber’ – it is free of any chemical additives to impact color, or some desirable performance property, such as flame retardancy.

This final rule creates a completely new 16 CFR  Part 1253 ‘Children’s Toys and Child Care Articles: Determinations Regarding the ASTM F963 elements and Phthalates for Unfinished manufactured Fibers’.

The final rule will become effective on July 1, 2020.

Highlights of the final rule are summarized in Table 1.

85 Federal Register 33015, June 1, 2020 CPSC 16 CFR PART 1253 ‘Children’s Toys and Childcare Articles: Determinations Regarding ASTM F963 Elements and Phthalates for Unfinished Manufactured Fibers


SubstanceScopeUnfinished manufactured fiber in accessible component exempt from third-party testingEffective  Date 
ASTM F963 soluble elements
Toys
  • Acrylic and modacrylic
  • Natural rubber latex
  • Nylon
  • Polyurethane (spandex)
  • Viscose rayon
July 1, 2020
Phthalates
(see Table 2)
Toys and childcare articles
  • Acrylic and modacrylic
  • Natural rubber latex
  • Nylon
  • Polyurethane (spandex)
  • Viscose rayon
  • Polyester (polyethylene terephthalate, PET)
July 1, 2020

Table 1

Abbreviations

Item
SubstanceAcronym
1Benzyl butyl phthalate
BBP
2Dibutyl phthalate
DBP
3Dicyclohexyl phthalateDCHP
4Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalateDEHP
5Di-n-hexyl phthalate
DHEXP (DnHP)
6Diisobutyl phthalate
DIBP
7Diisobutyl phthalate
DINP
8Diisobutyl phthalate
DPENP

Table 2

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’ prior written consent.

Stay on top of regulatory changes within your industry
Read more articles for the Consumer Goods and Retail industry
  • SGS SafeGuardS

1 Place des Alpes,

P.O. Box 2152,

1211, Geneva, Switzerland