NEWS

WIRES

OTHER

ASTM International Approves Children's Jewelry Safety Standard

"FJATA is proud to have led the successful effort with ASTM to adopt the first national Children's Jewelry Safety Standard, based on the best available science. We accepted the Consumer Product Safety Commission's (CPSC) charge that our Subcommittee carefully consider the agency's scientific findings in developing a national standard. The Standard was developed with broad stakeholder input, and incorporates technical research from both CPSC and industry concerning the migration of cadmium from plastic and metal components of jewelry. The standard is designed to be health-protective based on exposure limits recommended by CPSC staff.

CPSC's research rejected the idea of a specific total content limit for cadmium in children's jewelry, since the agency's findings demonstrated that potential exposure was not proportionate to content. The type of substrate, plating, and other factors had a much greater influence on potential cadmium exposures. Instead, the agency recommended that the ASTM Subcommittee consider a migratable content limit for cadmium. The Standard allows companies to test for total content, and if a metal or plastic component exceeds a screening limit, the company will conduct appropriate tests to verify that cadmium exposure will remain below CPSC's recommended health limits.

By adopting a total content screening level, coupled with migratable content tests if the components exceed 300 ppm total weight of cadmium, the Standard adopts a science-based approach grounded in CPSC's safety assessment and technical research.

In addition to limits on cadmium, the standard addresses all possible hazards posed by children's jewelry, and includes specifications regarding magnets, batteries, nickel, lead in paint and substrate [inside] layers, and other heavy metals in surface coatings. The Standard may be revised in the future to accommodate additional hazards if and as they are identified. FJATA will be meeting with CPSC Chairman Inez Tenenbaum and committee members in December to address next steps regarding educational outreach, and we also plan to meet with state legislators to explain the standard's requirements and promoting harmonization."

In a recent briefing package, CPSC staff commented that it brought to the ASTM jewelry safety standards process its knowledge of potential hazards of cadmium exposure, and experience in evaluating test methods and approaches to assessing product hazards. The staff concluded that the jewelry safety standard would be an appropriate measure for reducing the risk of harm for exposure to cadmium in children's jewelry.

The Jewelry Safety Coalition, which includes FJATA; Jewelers of America (representing businesses serving the fine jewelry retail marketplace), and the MJSA (representing jewelry makers and designers) also welcomed passage of the Children's Jewelry Safety Standard. The associations have been collaborating and sharing information on the issue of cadmium in children's jewelry since January 2010 and have supported the ASTM F-15.24 Subcommittee since its first meeting in June 2010.

In a statement released after the ASTM voted to approve the Children's Jewelry Safety Standard, the Coalition said: "The jewelry industry has a strong commitment to consumer safety and it fully supports adoption of common sense, science-based uniform national standards for cadmium [and other potential hazards] in children's jewelry."

The Fashion Jewelry and Accessories Trade Association (FJATA) is based in North Kingstown, Rhode Island. The Association represents producers, suppliers and retailers of fashion jewelry. Its 200+ members strongly support safe jewelry for all consumers and advocate the adoption of risk-based standards that assure safety and maintain business competitiveness.

Fashion Jewelry & Accessories Trade Association
Brent Cleaveland, 401-667-0520
Bcleaveland@fjata.org