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USA: California passes SB 502 to speed up safer consumer products program

OCTOBER 2022 - ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONICS, HARDLINES, SOFTLINES, TOYS AND CHILDREN'S PRODUCTS

USA California Governor has recently signed the bill SB 502¹ to improve the accountability and transparency of the Safer Consumer Products Program (SCP Program). This helps to ensure that the Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) has the right tools to efficiently identify and address unsafe chemical substances in consumer products.  

The SCP Program established a process that requires DTSC to adopt regulations identifying and prioritizing chemicals or chemical ingredients in consumer products. This program also requires manufacturers of priority products sold in California to notify DTSC within 60 days of a priority product listing and conduct a comprehensive alternatives analysis. DTSC then follows up with regulatory responses to address the risk of these chemicals. 

This program has been operating since 1 October 2013. Several priority products² are identified e.g., children’s foam-padded sleeping products containing TDCPP or TECP, carpets and rugs, carpets and rugs containing PFAS, etc.  However, DTSC has not yet wrapped up regulatory responses for the listed chemicals in the priority products. SB 502 updates SCP Program by allowing DTSC to use publicly available studies when evaluating chemicals of concern. The bill also authorises DTSC to issue a request for information from product manufacturers. These help to speed up the Program.

[1]  SB 502

[2]  Priority products under SCP Program