Toy Screening with Handheld XRF
In the last few years, and after the recall of tens of millions of toys primarily with high lead levels – but also other toxic metals such as barium – came the passage of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) of 2008. What are the highlights of this law regarding lead in toys and what do they mean to you?
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- Decreased permissible levels of lead in paint
- Regulated levels of lead in all other materials
- Increased civil penalties
- Critical deadlines for lower lead content starting on February 10, 2009
XRF Screening – Easy as Child’s Play
With handheld Thermo Scientific Niton x-ray fluorescence (XRF) analyzers, now available with GOLDD™ technology, screening toys for lead and other toxic metals is easy as child’s play. Quick. Accurate. Precise.
An effective toy screening program 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 – importers, brand owners, retailers – 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 lead toy test takes place, the easier it is to prevent lead from entering the hands of a child.
Niton XRF Analyzers – The Ideal Screening Tool
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 for screening toys for toxic metals – all eight regulated elements in toys 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 that are capable of differentiating between lead on the surface of an object and lead that exists in all other substrates. You benefit in a variety of ways from this remarkable tool:
- Easy to use – TestAll™ Technology automatically selects the correct analytical mode for non-technical users
- Fast – Screening takes seconds to minutes, not days. Decision to ship product can happen immediately
- Flexible – Screen toys and other child-accessible products for compliance with CPSIA, EN-71 and California's Proposition 65
- Powerful – Optional camera and small spot helps you accurately isolate small samples & visually document your measurments
- Handheld – The lead toy test can occur in-situ on the toy, 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
Toy Screening with Niton XRF Analyzers – A Name You Can Trust
Discover why major toy and consumer goods manufacturers, retailers, Internet shopping sites, as well as the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and the Eurpoean Union's Product Safety Enforcement Forum (PROSAFE) have all chosen and trust the handheld Thermo Scientific Niton XRF analyzer. Register for our next webinar.
US Consumer Product Safety Commission list of recalls for lead exposure hazard to date
