Oregon Passes Toxic-Free Kid's Act

The Oregon legislature has passed the Toxic-Free Kids Act which will establish a list of 66 chemicals of concern, require registration of children's products and the phase out of listed chemicals in certain applications.  The definition of children’s products does include children’s clothing and footwear, as well as products designed or intended by the manufacturer to facilitate sucking, teething, sleep, relaxation, feeding or drinking. Oregon's initial chemicals of concern list will be identical to Washington state's existing list of chemicals of high concern to children (CHCC), which includes several flame retardants, parabens, phthalates and such chemicals as:

• formaldehyde;
• benzene;
• bisphenol A (BPA);
• toluene;
• ethylene glycol; and
• styrene.

The law will require the manufacturer of a product, intended for use by children 12 years and younger, to submit a biennial report, detailing the presence of any listed chemicals. For products that are “mouthable”, intended for children younger than three or applied to the skin, listed chemicals must be removed or replaced within six years of the first reporting. It is anticipated that implementing regulations will be developed.  SGIA will continue to provide updates as this issue evolves. Sign up to receive the most up-to-date regulatory and legislative information about specialty imaging.