The American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) has approved a new standard for children's jewellery that includes limits for several heavy metals including cadmium, following recent pressure from the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).
The ASTM's standard test method and limits have been adopted from the CPSC migratable content limit for cadmium in children’s metal jewellery, and also addresses other possible hazards including nickel, lead in paint and substrates, and other heavy metals in surface coatings.
However, whilst the standard applies to jewellery designed or intended primarily for use by children 12 years old and under, it does not include toy jewellery, which will be covered by rules recently published by the CPSC.
The new standard covers:
Cadmium –The standard outlines that metal and plastic or polymeric components must meet migratable limits for cadmium, if they fail an initial screen for total cadmium content. Materials that contain 300ppm or less total cadmium do not need to be tested for migratable cadmium;
Lead –Total lead in substrates must not exceed 100ppm, excluding materials such as textiles, wood, precious metals, precious stones, animal-derived and plant-derived materials. This is consistent with the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA);
Nickel –Metal components must meet migratable nickel limits, such that jewellery inserted into pierced ears and other pierced parts of the human body shall not exceed 0.2µg/cm2/week, and all other jewellery intended to come into direct and prolonged contact with the skin shall not exceed 0.5µg/cm2/week;
Soluble heavy metals –The requirements for soluble heavy metals meet previous standards for testing and compliance, with maximum levels of 60ppm antimony; 60ppm chromium; 25ppm arsenic; 60ppm mercury; 1000ppm barium; 500ppm selenium; and 75ppm cadmium.