CPSC Toys Testing, Phthalate & Indoor Air Quality Testing

MAS is approved by the CPSC as a certified laboratory to assist manufacturers, importers, distributors and retailers to meet Consumer Products Safety Information Act (CPSIA) obligations.

We provide phthalate testing of toys and childcare products, as well as other SVOC Content testing. MAS is approved by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) as a certified laboratory to assist manufacturers, importers, distributors and retailers to meet Consumer Products Safety Information Act (CPSIA) obligations. Click here for details on phthalate guidance, and the CPSIA guide.

The Regulation

The new federal Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) of 2008 became effective February 2009. The CPSIA requires that children's toys and certain child care articles do not contain more than 0.1% of each of three specified phthalate esters (DEHP, DBP, BBP) and that toys that can be placed in a child's mouth and child care articles not contain more than 0.1% of each of three additional phthalates (DINP, DIDP and DnOP). Additionally, the overall phthalate content cannot exceed 0.1%. The law retroactively applies to products held in inventory.

Background

Phthalate esters are used as plasticizers to make polyvinyl chloride and other plastics soft and flexible and are incorporated into many consumer and building products. In addition, polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are types of SVOC's that are ubiquitous in our environment now having been widely used as flame retardants in furniture cushions, textiles, plastics, paints, and electronic appliances. Because of low vapor pressures, these and other SVOC's tend to condense on surfaces and, due to this effect, only very low concentrations will be measured in air. Thus, environmental chamber techniques used for VOC's may not be uniformly suitable for determining the emissions of SVOCs from products and materials. In addition, health risks associated with these chemicals may derive from exposure pathways other than gas-phase inhalation such as direct ingestion, dermal contact and hand-to-mouth transfer.

The uses of some SVOC's are now regulated in the U.S. In California effective January 2008, companies may not manufacture, process, or distribute a product, or a flame-retardant treated product, containing more than 0.1% of pentaBDE or octaBDE. Other states have passed or are considering similar PDBE legislation.

The MAS Solution

MAS has the full capability to analyze toys, child care articles, furniture components and other products and materials for their content of the 6 phthalate esters identified in the CPSIA regulation.

•	MAS has invested in state-of-the-art technology for cryogenic milling, accelerated solvent extraction, and high sensitivity GC/MS analysis of sample extracts.
•	MAS utilizes the latest approved method, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission Test Method CPSC-CH-C1001-09 for identification and measurement of phthalates.
•	MAS analyses & reports are in compliance with IEC/ISO quality system requirements.

Additionally, MAS can assist IAQ professionals with the analysis of phthalates and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in a variety of field collected matrices:

•	Air Samples- Collected on Poly Urethane Foam (PUF) Media
•	Dust Samples
•	Wipe Samples - Collected from Surfaces