New requirements of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA), recently effective, will make children’s products safer and increase consumer confidence in the marketplace. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is educating domestic and overseas manufacturers, importers, and distributors of children’s products and other consumer goods of these important new safety requirements.

CPSC Chairman Inez Tenenbaum said the CPSIA’s new requirements will help protect families and she urged businesses to comply. “I will ensure that these requirements are enforced vigorously and fairly,” said Ms. Tennenbaum. “By ensuring that toys and other children’s products meet strict lead limits and can be tracked in the event of a recall, I believe children will be better protected in their homes.”

Manufacturers must place permanent distinguishing marks (tracking labels) on any consumer product primarily intended for children 12 and younger made on or after August 14, 2009. The permanent marks must enable consumers to ascertain basic information, including the manufacturer or private labeler, location, the date of manufacture, and more detailed information on the manufacturing process such as a batch or run number. The permanent distinguishing marks must appear on the product itself and its packaging to the extent practicable.

The requirements that become also include a reduction in the amount of lead allowable in children’s products from 600 to 300 parts per million and a reduction in lead in paint for consumer use from 600 to 90 ppm.

Additionally, advertising for certain toys and games intended for use by children from three to six years old must have warnings regarding potential choking hazards to children younger than three. The requirement to include warnings in Internet advertisements went into effect on December 12, 2008. There was a grace period for the requirement for catalogues and other printed materials, but this grace period expired August 9, 2009. All catalogues and other printed materials distributed on or after August 9, 2009, regardless of when they were printed, must include the appropriate warnings.