CPSIA-Accepted Lab Assurance Against Dangerous Lead Levels

Since the passage of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA), the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), the agency that protects the public from unreasonable risks of serious injury or death from thousands of types of consumer products, has continued to tighten restrictions on lead limits, particularly in Children’s Products.

Before the end of 2011, CPSIA lead threshold limits in children’s products had tightened to 300 ppm in concentration. However, the law, along with subsequent commission votes, had upheld a “stay of enforcement” on Third-Party Testing as a way to give manufacturers enough time to feasibly update their production methods and testing programs.

On August 31, 2011, the threshold dropped again to 100 ppm and, by the beginning of 2012, all manufacturers and importers were required to seek CPSC-accredited laboratory testing for lead limits to support their required Children’s Product Certificate (CPC).

Expect Stronger Measures Against the Presence of Lead

In the face of the increasing body of data connecting early-age lead exposure to lifelong health effects and development disorders, stronger enforcement against illegal lead limits will continue. Research continues to suggest that there simply isn’t a safe level of lead exposure for the human body.

A Harvard School of Health study, which focused on children and “low level” lead exposure, concluded: “We have not yet reached the point where it is possible to cite a blood lead level that is ‘safe’, and even the current ‘low’ levels of exposure in children are associated with neurodevelopmental deficits.”

Without complete assurance that your product is being manufactured to the strictest standards against lead contamination, your company runs the risk of unknowingly bringing a dangerous product into a child’s playtime.

The Importance of CPSC-Accepted Laboratories

As a manufacturing or importing company, your best defense against non-compliant products with high lead content is consistent, accurate testing by laboratories which are held to their own uncompromising standards of competence, expertise and management.

To become approved by the CPSC, Third Party laboratories must conform to the current international standard ISO/IEC 17025‐‐General Requirements for the Competence of Testing and Calibration Laboratories.

The objective of ISO/IEC 17025 is to promote confidence in laboratory testing standards around the world. To comply with this standard, testing labs must be able to demonstrate:

• Operational competence
• The ability to consistently deliver valid test results
• Impartiality -- as it is critical that a laboratory is not motivated by any interests other than the assured safety of the product

Complete Assurance Testing

QIMA's comprehensive Lab Testing Audit and Inspection Services check all of the above boxes and more, by taking a client-first approach that ensures your manufacturing expectations are being met. QIMA labs bring CPSIA standards to Lead testing in surface coatings, children’s products (metal and non-metal substrates) and children’s jewelry.

Along with the additional layer of safety assurance that comes with our global network of CPSC-approved laboratories, we offer industry-leading turnaround times for test results.

Finally, our expert factory auditors and product inspectors provide on-the-ground insight regarding manufacturing processes and factory-line sampling procedures to ensure that your final tested product is produced to your specifications and representative of your production.

Find out how QIMA can put expertise, consistency and integrity to work for you!

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