The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has published its procedures for considering requests
for exemption from its regulation covering lead content in children’s products. Because textile
manufacturers contend their products are inherently lead-free, they may seek exemption from the
testing and certification rules under those procedures. In an announcement in the March 11 Federal
Register (74 FR 10475), the CPSC lays out details of how a request may be made.
On February 10, the CPSC issued a ruling prohibiting lead content in excess of 600 parts per
million in products used by children under 12 years of age. In commenting on the rule, US textile
and apparel manufacturers presented considerable evidence demonstrating that textiles do not
contain lead. The March 11 notice said the commission is issuing a “final rule for requests for the
commission to determine that a commodity or class of materials or a specific material does not
exceed lead limits.”
March 17, 2009
