From the Bureau Veritas Group:
The Washington Department of Ecology (WA DOE) has released a draft reporting list of 66 chemicals as part of the pilot rule-making process related to the previously enacted Children’s Product Safety Act. Under this Act, the WA DOE is responsible for creating a list of high priority chemicals. The pilot approach calls for the agency to have several manufacturers test the draft rule.
Participating manufacturers are expected to provide feedback and the rule is anticipated to be finalized in spring of this year. Once the finalized chemical list is published, manufacturers of children’s product will be required to report to the WA DOE if any of the listed chemicals are present in their products.
Washington State has set up a pilot program to test the rule before it becomes finalized. Manufacturers will be able to field-test the process and submit comments before enforcement begins. Comments will be collected and evaluated and the next steps will be assessed based on this evaluation.
The expected comments should include information such as:
• Which chemicals should be added or removed from the draft list
• Suggestions on how to improve the chemical selection process
• Information on the costs of complying with the law
• Information on time it takes to reformulate products
• Any data on specific chemicals used in children’s products or raw materials used in the industryThis pilot program is expected to last 3-4 months. It will begin February 1, 2010 and is expected to run through mid-April. After final written reports and comments are collected from participants, they will be evaluated and a final written project report will be released. The next steps and adjustments in the pilot program will be evaluated after this release.
For more information on the pilot program or to download the draft chemical please click on the above link.
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