Susan DeRagon

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Interpretation of Children's Products

With their Proposed Interpretative Rule, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is attempting to better define what constitutes a children’s product and how to differentiate a children’s product from a general use item.  With some products, such as toys, there is no question that the item is a children’s product.  But there are many other products that are less clearly identifiable.  The di... More

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The February Overlap

February is a busy month for consumer product safety professionals like me.  In the toy industry, the activity leading up to the February Toy Fair and ICPHSO frenzy actually starts a month earlier in January, with the Hong Kong Toy Fair, followed by the London and Nuernberg Toy Fairs.  While there were concerns that the poor economy, along with the increased regulatory burden on toy manufacturers,... More

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Chemical Concerns Continue

The big news in the industry last week was the high levels of cadmium found in children’s jewelry, based on an investigation by the Associated Press.  Testing of 103 items indicated that 12% of the jewelry contained at least 10% cadmium by weight, with some pieces containing between 84%-91% cadmium.  Cadmium is a known carcinogen and, like lead, it can hinder children’s brain development.  Unlike... More

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Canada's Changing Toy Safety Standard

In addition to the US toy safety changes brought about by the CPSIA and Europe’s updated Toy Safety Directive, Canada is also proposing some significant changes in their toy safety regulation, the Hazardous Products Act and the associated Hazardous Products (Toys) Regulations.  This legislation has not been significantly updated since 1991, and Health Canada is taking a “Stepwise Approach” rather... More

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Happy New Year with the CPSIA!

In a flurry of activity at the end of December 2009, the CPSC issued several important notices, many of which have significant impact on product testing and compliance in 2010 and beyond.   First came the Commission’s decision to extend the stay of enforcement on testing and certification for many children’s products.  The stay of enforcement was due to expire on February 10, 2010 and third party... More