AAFA Urges CPSC to Change Treatment of Textile Prints to Reduce Lead Testing Burdens

The Consumer Product Safety Commission should revise its treatment of prints on textiles to reduce burdens related to lead testing, said the American Association of Footwear and Apparel in a June 2 letter addressed to CPSC Chairman Robert Adler. The decision that all types of prints on textiles are not inherently lead-free has inadvertently required lead testing for many products that never contain lead, said AAFA. CPSC had in April asked industry to suggest materials that shouldn’t require third-party testing as part of its effort to reduce testing burdens (see 13042226).

CPSC’s standard for lead in children’s products does not require testing for most textiles, which it says inherently do not contain lead. But the definition of textiles under the standard excludes “after-treatment applications, including screen prints, transfers, decals, or other prints.”

While screen prints on textiles may contain lead, CPSC’s decision to subject all “other prints” to testing requirements “unintentionally subjected many inherently lead free operations to testing,” said the AAFA. “The resulting confusion, and the significant amount of unnecessary testing it has caused, has been very costly to our industry, all without any corresponding increase in public safety.” The AAFA said CPSC should revise the definition of “after treatment applications” so that it only includes “screen prints, transfers, or decals,” and does not include “other prints.”