Company maintains light’s safety despite growing reports of fires
May 10, 2017, Fox8 News
The number of local reports of the Ever Brite solar-powered LED light spontaneously catching fire is growing, while the company behind the product maintains that it is safe. Other consumers have complained about the same thing happening with the product across the country. In the last year, at least five people have reported the problem to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

California Proposition 65 settlement requires strict reformulation for cadmium necklaces
May 5, 2017, Open PR
A new California Proposition 65 (Prop 65) settlement agreement has been reached concerning the use of cadmium in necklaces. Agreed in March 2017, the settlement requires a reformulation of cadmium content to no more than 100 ppm. This is considerably lower than the 300 ppm previously agreed in a national, legally binding settlement concerning jewelry, concluded on March 22, 2011.

CPSC Commissioner Mohorovic on the Commission’s proposed mandatory rule regarding table saws
April 27, 2017, cpsc.gov
Commissioner Mohorovic explains why “unfortunately I was unable to join” in a decision to issue a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to address blade-contact injuries among users of table saws. He notes that specific technology is available that can reduce risk in this instance. Where such factors exist, he notes “government should respect consumer choice and individual liberty, (and) allow consumers to decide for themselves what risks they will tolerate.

Risky residences: Latest recall trends show surge in household product incidents and injuries
May 9, 2017, PR News Wire
The Q1 2017 Recall Index from Stericycle ExpertSOLUTIONS found that while the number of consumer products recalled decreased compared to Q4 2016, products for the home and family posed disproportionate dangers. Just four household product categories accounted for more than 75 percent of all consumer products recalled: home furnishings/fixtures, housewares, toys, and child nursery equipment and supplies. At the same time, the risks of people falling, bleeding, or choking accounted for nearly 75 percent of the top hazards reported.

Our View: Take a step back on rubber mulch
May 11, 2017, Duluth News Tribune
Now that estimates have come back at more than triple the originally talked-about cost, can the Duluth School Board please do right by taxpayers and take a step back on replacing rubber mulch on school playgrounds — at least until the science is there to tell us if the stuff is even a problem? Concerns about the soft play surface material started brewing around 2008. A number of studies quieted the controversy but never quite quelled it.

What parents need to know about the spike in child product safety recalls
May 9, 2017, JDSupra
A recent report published by Kids in Danger (KID), a non-profit group, indicates that child product safety recalls rose in 2016 over the previous year, peaking to its highest level since 2004. The analysis looked at data provided by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) from 2016, revealing that companies pulled 66.8 million units of 76 child products from store shelves.

EU Council publishes directive on the safety of toys with lead
May 6, 2017, UL
The Council of the European Union has published a Council Directive (EU)  amending, for the purpose of adapting to technical progress, Annex II to Directive 2009/48/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on the safety of toys, as regards lead on April 27, 2017. The Directive sets 3 limits for lead in toys, and comes into force May 18, 2017.

Bio-on bio plastic analyzed by Italian Toy Safety Institute to verify product safety for children
May 3, 2017, nasdaq.com
The Italian Toy Safety Institute(Istituto Italiano Sicurezza dei Giocattoli – IISG, a UL company) has run specific analyses on tested samples of Minerv Supertoys, the new type of PHAs bio plastic designed and developed by Bio-on for the toys of the future, and has issued its declaration of conformity. Like all the PHAs bio plastics developed by Bio-on, the special grade Minerv Supertoys is 100% natural and biodegradable.

China drafts list of substances restricted in consumer products
May 4, 2017, Chemical Watch
China’s National Consumer Product Safety Standardisation Technical Commission has consulted on a draft list of substance restrictions in consumer products.The list combines a number of existing Chinese standards and, where no domestic standard exists, it refers to restrictions based on EU and other foreign legislation. The draft – which is similar to the consumer restrictions set out in the EU’s REACH Annex XVII – includes 103 chemicals and proposes limit values for their use in consumer products such as toys, textiles, coatings, paints, decoration materials and furniture.

Product safety lowest in India among world’s top 4 markets, yet brand rules
May 10, 2017, Times of India
India has the highest proportion of people who are worried about the safety of consumer goods, especially children’s products and food items. This is because among the world’s top four consumer markets, including US, China and Germany , it is in India that consumers have suffered the highest number of product safety incidents in the last five years, with allergic reactions being the top issue, followed by cuts from sharp edges and food poisoning.

In Flint, overdue bills for unsafe water could lead to foreclosures
May 4, 2017, The New York Times
Following a water crisis that saw sky-high levels of lead contamination in Flint, Mich., many homes in the city still do not have access to safe tap water.But that doesn’t mean they’re not being charged for it. And if they can’t pay in time, they may lose their homes. The city has mailed 8,002 letters to residents in an effort to collect about $5.8 million in unpaid bills for water and sewer services.

California Proposition 65’s increase in settlements on phthalates in certain consumer products
April 17, 2017, military-technologies.net
In recent months, there has been an increase in the number of California Proposition 65 settlements concerning phthalates in consumer products. These settlements require the manufacturer to reformulate, although in some instances a Prop. 65 warning is accepted. Products affected include crimpers with vinyl grips, cup hooks, vinyl coated utility hooks, and gloves. Phthalates on the Prop 65 list include seven chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer, birth defects, and other reproductive harm.

How Samsung will test its new Galaxy devices
April 22, 2017, letsgodigital.org
A senior Samsung official in the company’s Reliability Group for their mobile communications business explains how they test Galaxy devices to achieve the “highest product safety.” Improvements include the device’s battery design at both the software and hardware levels, new and enhanced multi-layer safety measures and protocol at the product planning stage.

CPSC Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPR) for Infant Inclined sleep products safety standard
March 22, 2017, cpsc.gov
The CPSC  proposal is to clarify that infant inclined sleep products fall within the category of ‘durable infant or toddler products,’ subject to CPSC’s consumer registration requirements. The NPR would incorporate by reference the most recent voluntary standard developed by ASTM International, ASTM F3118-17, Standard Consumer Safety Specification for Infant Inclined Sleep Products, with a modification to the ‘accessory’ definition in the standard.

Vermont and other states consider chemical monitoring bills
March, 2017, wileyrein.com
A bill introduced in the Vermont State Legislature, HB 268, would amend the Vermont State Toxics Use Reduction and Hazardous Waste Program to build upon the state’s current reporting requirements for 66 chemicals in children’s products and expand the program to a broad range of other consumer products. The enactment of TSCA reform at the federal level does not preempt reporting requirements such as the one proposed in Vermont.

New certification for safer chemicals in textiles
April 19, 2017, csrwire.com
Clean Production Action (CPA) launched a new certification program they claim helps meet industry demand for safer chemicals in manufacturing and communicating the use of those chemicals across supply chains. The program builds on GreenScreen®, a tool for chemical hazard assessment.

California approves Prop 65 MADL for ethylene-glycol
April 15, 2017, The National Law Review (Keller Heckman)
California’s Office of Administrative Law approved a Maximum Allowable Dose Level (MADL) for ethylene glycol (ingested) of 8,700 (oral) micrograms per day, the same MADL proposed by the California Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment in April of last year. Ethylene Glycol was added to the list of chemicals known to the state of California to cause reproductive toxicity under Prop. 65 on June 19, 2015.

Bigger penalties and stronger consumer refund rights proposed in Australian consumer law review
April 19, 2017, Sidney Morning Herald
Under legislative changes proposed in the Australian Consumer Law Review: Final Report, maximum financial penalties would be increased from $1.1 million to at least $10 million per breach. “We’ve been pushing for greater penalties because they have to be of a size that will have an impact and not simply be seen as a cost of doing business,” said Australian Competition and Consumer Commission chairman Rod Sims.

Canadian Agency: Glyphosate levels “not a safety issue”
April 20, 2017, The Western Producer
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CRIA) released a report on glyphosate residues in food. Thirty percent of Canadian food samples were found to have glyphosates, the active ingredient used in Monsanto’s popular weed-killer Roundup. “Over 98 percent of our samples didn’t have glyphosate residues above the MRLs (maximum residue limits). And even within those (over the limit), none of them posed a health and safety risk,” according to Aline Dimitri, the CRIA’s deputy chief food safety officer and executive director, who went on to say that Canadians don’t need to worry about glyphosate in food.

VW’s Criminal case ends, but not without at scolding
April 20, 2017, The New York Times
The criminal case against Volkswagen for its decade-long scheme to cheat on diesel emissions tests ended with a scolding, an apology and $4.3 billion in penalties. The judge hearing the case in Federal District Court in Michigan chastised the automaker for “deliberate and massive fraud.” The judge, Sean Cox, appointed an outside monitor, attorney Larry D. Thompson, a former deputy United States attorney general, to oversee Volkswagen’s compliance with ethics and regulatory measures for a probation period of 3 years.

 Manufacturers risk jail term for using goods in campaign
April 20, 2017, businessdailyafrica.com
The Kenya Bureau of Standards has said it will crack down on manufacturers portraying political campaign materials on their products, adding that offenders risk a Sh1 million fine. The law stipulates that the name of the products, date of manufacture, expiry data, handing requirements and active ingredient information must be indelibly and legibly displayed on the goods.

CPSC Publishes new federal safety standard for infant bath tubs
March 31, 2017, Federal Register Notice (CPSC)
The U. S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has approved a new mandatory federal standard intended to improve the safety of infant bath tubs and prevent drowning. The new standard incorporates the most recent voluntary standard developed by ASTM International (ASTM F2670-17), Standard Consumer Safety Specifications for Infant Bath Tubs. Between January 2004 and August 2015 there were 247 incidents reported to the CPSC involving infant tubs, including 31 fatalities.

Samsung may bring back its fire-plagued Galaxy Note 7
March 28, 2017, The New York Times
The star-crossed Samsung Galaxy Note 7, whose fires prompted an unprecedented array of issues and cost to the company, may be headed back to consumers. Samsung announced that it might sell refurbished versions of the phone, though there has been no decision about in which countries the device may be sold.

Samsung hardly mentions battery safety in new phones
March 29, 2017, itweb.co.za (Reuters)
While Samsung has taken aggressive steps to design out the hazards that led to the collapse of its fire-prone Note 7 smartphones, there is little mention of safety of its new S8 smartphones now being launched. There is an eight-point safety check protocol that includes x-raying the batteries, which were the cause of fires experienced by the Note 7, resulting in the unprecedented measures and expense for Samsung.

Glyphosate to be added to Proposition 65 list of chemicals
March 28, 2017, oehha.ca.gov
Though still surrounded by litigation, glyphosate, the active ingredient of Monsanto’s Roundup® and many other weed killers, is being added to California’s Proposition 65 list of chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer. The California Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) says that the effective date of the listing will depend on the outcome of a request for a stay in the Fresno County Superior Court case Monsanto v. OEHHA, which challenges the agency’s ability to list the chemical.

New York State Legislature consider 6 bills affecting consumer products
March 30, 2017, asianinspection.com
The New York State Legislature is now considering 6 different legislative proposals covering such issues as phthalates in the sale of toys and children’s products and placement of warnings on certain lithium batteries and products containing such batteries. There are also proposals to prohibit the sale of certain jewelry products that contain small magnets, and to prohibit the sale of any toy containing bisphenol A and the sale of any food and beverage container containing bisphenol A designed for use by children 3 years of age or younger.

Anti-counterfeiting market analysis by product, forensic, track and trace, and applications (pharmaceutical and clothing), 2014-2025 expected to reach $184 billion
March 29, 2017, pharmiweb.com
The global anti-counterfeit packaging market is expected to reach $184.87 billion by 2025 according to one market report by a research company. The industry in North America is estimated to grow at over 33% of the global market due to high demand by industries such as pharmaceuticals, apparels, and food and beverage in the U.S. and Canada.

Nearly one-third consumers are not registering new electrical appliances
March 27, 2017, voltimum.co.uk
A research study by a UK consumer group reports that nearly one-half of consumers are not registering new electrical appliances. This despite the fact that a number of high profile safety alerts and product recalls were among the 2016 recall notices that were issued in 2016. The group, Electrical Safety First, is urging consumers to be aware of registration as an essential step when purchasing an electrical product.

German watchdog sued for being too soft on VW over emissions cheating
March 24, 2017, businesslieve.co.za
VW has faced billions of dollars of fines in the U.S. but its costs in Europe have been much lower—and critics say governments may be bowing to lobbying pressure. One German environmental group has filed suit against German motor authority KBA, accusing it of failing to act robustly enough over Volkswagen’s diesel emissions scandal.

Flame retardant chemicals market rises with attention to safety from hazards
March 23, 2017, globenewswire.com
With estimates that the focus on safety regulations could expand usage, the market for flame retardant chemicals is expected to rise in a variety of geographic centers and specifically in China and the U.S. This report by a market analysis firm estimates that a large demand will come from engineering and construction centers in such end application sectors as electronics and electrical devices, building and construction materials, furnishings, transportation and others. The report covers the period 2017-2022.

UAE: New safety regulations for hoverboards, drones, and e-transport devices
March 28, 2017, emirates247.com
With electronic personal transport devices flooding the Middle East, new and updated standards are establishing a baseline of expectations for their safe use and shipment. Hoverboards, drones, electric bikes and other forms of transport have become hugely popular, prompting UL, a global safety science firm, to urge caution and awareness, along with new global safety standards that will minimize risk and keep end users safe.