Furniture
The paint and wood finishes used in children's furniture can contain hazardous levels of lead. Also regulated are lead levels in plastic, metal and other components used to build these furnishings. Recalls of cribs, for example, in addition to other child-accessible products have brought the issue into the spotlight and helped lead to the passage of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (CPSIA), also known as H.R. 4040. What are the highlights of this law and what do they mean to you, the manufacturers, finishing suppliers, importers, and retailers?
Watch CPSC video
- Decreased permissible levels of lead in paint and finishes
- Regulated levels of lead in all other materials
- Increased civil penalties
- Critical deadlines for lower lead content starting on February 10, 2009
Handheld XRF Helps You Rest Easy
According to the new law, testing children's furniture for lead includes but is not limited to:
- Beds/cribs
- Bookcases/shelves
- Chairs
- Chests
- Tables
- Dressers
- Desks
So, what's the most efficient and cost-effective way for you to handle children's furniture screening? The handheld Thermo Scientific Niton x-ray fluorescence (XRF) analyzers, often referred to as the "XRF testing gun" and now available with GOLDD™ technology. Using these breakthrough instruments, you can confidently test furniture for lead, screen cribs for lead, as well as all furniture components. Quickly. Accurately. Precisely.
An effective program to test children's furniture for lead using handheld XRF analysis greatly reduces the chances that lead containing materials will enter the manufacturing process, or accidentally end up on store shelves. This starts with a process that includes rapid screening of metals, plastic, wood, fabrics, and paints:
- At the receiving dock
- In the warehouse
- During product assembly
- Even at vendor sites, including testing through packaging to save time
You, and all stakeholders, can implement a standardized inspection protocol for incoming shipments to verify compliance, while simultaneously requiring supply chain documentation based on empirical testing. The further back in the supply chain that the children's furniture lead test takes place, the easier it is to prevent a non-compliant article from finding its way into a child's home.
Niton XRF Analyzers – With You at the Finish Line
Operating as either a handheld tool or integrated into an optional test stand with included PC-based software, Thermo Scientific Niton XRF analyzers, from the value choice Niton® XL2 to our Niton XL3 Series, are the ideal tools to screen for lead in children's furniture, as well as the seven other regulated elements in products designed for children under the age of 12 (lead, barium, antimony, selenium, cadmium, mercury, arsenic, hexavalent chromium).
What's more, they are the only handheld XRF analyzers capable of differentiating between lead on the surface of an object and lead that exists in all other substrates (there are limitations associated with plated material). You benefit in a variety of ways from this remarkable tool:
- Fast – Screening takes seconds to minutes, not days. Decision to ship or pull product can be made immediately
- Flexible – Screen raw materials, components and finished furniture for compliance with CPSIA, EN-71 and California's Proposition 65
- Easy to use – TestAll™ Technology automatically selects the correct analytical mode for non-technical users
- Powerful – Optional camera and small spot helps you accurately isolate small samples & visually document your measurements
- Handheld – You can screen for lead in children's furniture in-situ, in the factory, product integrity lab, on the dock, or in the warehouse
- Non-destructive – The analyzed product is not defaced or affected in any way
Niton XRF Analyzers – Always in Style
Discover why major toy and consumer goods manufacturers, retailers, Internet shopping sites, as well as the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and the European Union's Product Safety Enforcement Forum (PROSAFE) have all chosen and trust the handheld Thermo Scientific Niton XRF analyzer. Register for our next webinar.
Contact us today for a demonstration and discover how these versatile instruments can easily help you meet the requirements of the CPSIA and keep our children safe!
US Consumer Product Safety Commission list of recalls for lead exposure hazard to date.
