From: JCK

Sixteen retailers and manufacturers, including Saks and Target, agreed on Sept. 2 to a settlement that requires them to strictly limit the amount of cadmium they use in both children’s and adult’s jewelry.

The agreement calls for jewelry sold by the companies to contain no more than 0.03 percent (300 parts per million) of cadmium by Dec. 31, 2011.

The agreement is in response to a lawsuit launched by the Oakland, Calif.-based Center for Environmental Health in February 2010. The suit charged the retailers with violating California’s Proposition 65, which requires companies to warn consumers when their products expose them to potentially harmful chemicals.

Click on the links for more information.

From: Health Canada

The Harper Government is taking action to protect children from dangerous products by proposing a new guideline regarding the amount of cadmium that may be found in children’s jewellery.

Cadmium is a heavy metal which is known to be highly toxic when ingested. Health Canada is proposing a guideline regarding total cadmium concentration in children’s jewellery of 130 parts per million (0.013%).  It is believed this concentration would help protect children from cadmium poisoning following accidental ingestion, or prolonged licking and sucking, of these products.  Stakeholders affected by this proposed guideline have until October 10, 2011 to provide comments on the proposal.

Last October, as a first step, the Government appealed to members of industry to voluntarily stop the production, importation and sale of children’s jewellery made with cadmium or cadmium-containing materials.  While there is no known risk to health from simply wearing jewellery made with high levels of cadmium, a Health Canada risk assessment found that there are serious health risks associated with swallowing, sucking or chewing jewellery that contains high levels of cadmium.

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From: Bureau Veritas Group

On 20 May 2011, the European Commission issued a regulation (EU 494/2011) amending the restrictions on cadmium under Annex XVII of REACH regulation (EC) No.1907/2006. This regulation restricts cadmium in jewellery, brazing sticks and all plastic materials and comes into force on 10 December 2011 as per the Corrigendum of 21 May 2011.

Annex XVII of the REACH regulation (EC 1907/2006) already contains several restrictions on cadmium in mixtures and articles. Now, these restrictions have been extended to jewellery, brazing sticks and all plastic materials with a limit of 100 mg/kg. For the recycling of PVC in construction products, the new legislation allows the re-use of recovered PVC containing low levels (0,1%) of cadmium.

Click on the above link for highlights of this new regulation.

From Sustainable Business.com

US legislators in 30 states across the country and the District of Columbia announced legislation aimed at protecting people from harmful chemicals.

Increasing rates of chronic diseases linked to toxic chemical exposure, including cancer, asthma, and infertility, has created urgency in state capitols to enact policies to get harmful chemicals off the market, the Coalition said.

Despite overwhelming public support for stronger laws on toxic chemicals, Congress has heeded the aggressive opposition of chemical industry lobbyists rather than the support of the American electorate and failed to pass Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) reform legislation three times in the last six years.

For more information, follow the links.

From: CBC News

From: TSCA Consulting

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (Commission or CPSC) has received a petition requesting standards restricting cadmium in children’s products, especially toy metal jewelry.

Specifically, petitioners request that the Commission adopt regulations declaring that any toy metal jewelry containing
more than trace amounts of cadmium by weight which could be ingested by children be declared a banned hazardous substance. If the Commission finds that it lacks sufficient information to determine the appropriate level of cadmium in products, petitioners request that the Commission, as an interim measure, adopt the maximum levels established for lead.

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Relevant Nexreg Compliance Links: CPSC compliance, OSHA MSDS authoring, MSDS authoring

From the Bureau Veritas Group:

Minnesota has become the first state to finalize a law for cadmium in children’s jewelry. This law comes after the Associated Press released reports of cadmium-laden children’s jewelry and the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) voluntarily recalled several children’s jewelry products. The requirements will become effective for manufacturers and wholesalers as of January 1, 2011 and for retailers as of March 1, 2011. The Minnesota Attorney General’s office will enforce the requirements of this new law.

- Limit:

• Shall not exceed 75 ppm of soluble cadmium
• Tested according to heavy metals test method defined in ASTM F963

For definitions, scope, and exemptions of this new law click the link above.

Relevant Nexreg Compliance Links: CPSC compliance, OSHA MSDS authoring, MSDS authoring

From CBC.ca:

U.S. and Canadian product safety authorities will investigate the presence of cadmium in children’s jewelry imported from China, and Wal-Mart has pulled the items from shelves after lab tests showed some were made almost entirely of the toxic metal.

The promise for action is the result of an Associated Press investigation that found some Chinese manufacturers have been substituting cadmium for lead in cheap charm bracelets and pendants being sold throughout the United States and possibly Canada.

Scott Wolfson, a spokesman for the U.S. commission, said the agency would study the test results and take the necessary action. Health Canada said it is concerned and has begun an investigation.

A patchwork of U.S. consumer protection regulations does nothing to keep these nuggets of cadmium off store shelves. If the products were painted toys, they would face a recall. If they were industrial garbage, they could qualify as hazardous waste. But since there are no cadmium restrictions on jewelry, such items are sold legally.

In separate written statements, Dickens and Wal-Mart said they consider safety a very high priority. “We consistently seek to sell only those products that meet safety and regulatory standards,” Wal-Mart said. “Currently, there is no required cadmium standard for children’s jewelry.”

Health Canada said its investigation will include sampling and testing of children’s jewelry for cadmium, and that it will take appropriate action once that’s completed. The agency also said it’s the responsibility of companies to ensure that consumer products they import, sell or advertise meet all requirements of the Hazardous Products Act.

Click on the links for more information.

Relevant Nexreg Compliance Links: CPSC compliance, OSHA MSDS authoring, MSDS authoring CCCR compliance, WHMIS MSDS authoring, MSDS authoring

From the New York Post – Toys and toxicity; Beware of pet toys that contain dangerous chemicals:

…researchers at Michigan’s Ecology Center examined more than 400 pet products for hazardous chemicals, including lead, cadmium, mercury, bromine, chlorine (PVC) and arsenic… One-quarter of pet products tested…were found to have detectable levels of lead…There are currently no government standards for hazardous chemicals in pet products.

We will keep you informed if any regulatory changes result due to this study.

Relevant Nexreg Compliance Links: CPSC compliance, OSHA MSDS authoring, MSDS authoring

From The Dallas Morning News:

A new Web site that rates consumer products on their toxic chemical content launched this month, providing information on goods ranging from automobiles and pet products to school supplies and women’s accessories. The HealthyStuff.org site lists more than 900 products….Ratings focus on levels of lead, cadmium, chlorine, arsenic, bromine and mercury in products….

Click on the links for more information.

Relevant Nexreg Compliance Links: CPSCcompliance, OSHA MSDS authoring,MSDS authoring