US Legislation To Require Warning Labels For Children With Lead Products

The Department of public health of Illinois is seeking advice from interested parties on a proposed bill; the deadline for consultation is May 31st.

The proposed law is intended to amend the lead poisoning act of Illinois, requiring certain children's products to be added with lead warning labels.

The proposed amendment requires children's jewelry, nursing supplies and toys containing paint. If the total lead content of any component exceeds 40ppm, warning labels should be added.

The warning label should be attached to the product or applied to its direct packaging container and contains the following warning: "warning: lead."

If swallowed or chewed, it can cause harm.

Lead dust may be generated.

Labels must be eye-catching, easy to recognize, located in the prominent position of objects or packages, and contrasted with the convex, typesetting and color of other printed images.

According to Illinois law, child care products are defined as "designed by manufacturers to promote sleep, ease mood or feeding utensils for children under 6 years of age, or supplementary products for children under 6 years old."

Child care products include appliances designed for or intended to be used directly in children's mouths to promote sleep for children under 6 years of age, to relax mood or to feed, or to assist children under 6 years of age to suck or grind their teeth; because these items are close to children, so they are likely to be put into the mouth, chew, suck and lick.

Children's jewelry is legally defined as jewelry made and sold for children under 12 years of age, and includes jewelry that meets the following requirements:

L indicates in the packaging, display or advertisement that it is suitable for children under 12 years of age; L is sold, attached to or packaged with other products, and is suitable for children under 12 years of age to be sold together with other products; it is suitable for children under the age of 12; L is suitable for children rather than adults; or, l is sold on vending machines; (2) on line sales in retail stores, catalogues or online, the packaging, display or advertisement of its specialized products are suitable for children's use; or (3) sales of specific sites on retail stores, catalogues or online outlets, and their products are packaged, displayed or advertised, which are suitable for children.

Illinois legislation encompassed products that conform to the Consumer Product Safety Enhancement Act and comply with the labeling requirements of commercially available products in the state.

For example, it satisfies the total lead content stipulated in the consumer product safety enhancement act. If the jewelry required by 300ppm is sold in Illinois, the warning label should be added as long as the lead content of any component exceeds 40ppm.

The Illinois lead label requirement will be implemented in the state as early as November 1, 2010.