Hazardous Substance Labeling Act

Consumer Product and Safety Commission (CPSC) - under the Department of Labor. Its goal is to protect the consumer against unreasonable risks from products specified by legislation such as the Hazardous Substances Labeling Act, Consumer Product Safety Act, and Flammable Fabrics Act. (http //www.cpsc.gov/)... 

Labeling. The Federal Hazardous Substance Labeling Act (95) requires that all containers sold to consumers be labeled with appropriate precautionary wording to protect the user and employees from injury resulting from contact with the chemical. The capacities of all packages up to and including 208-L (55-gal) drums customarily are indicated by labels. The information includes identification of the material, notification of principal hazards and precautions for use, and antidotes or first-aid measures if applicable. 

There are several tests (.Figure 3) which have been required under the Hazardous Substance Labeling Act and previously by FDA and DOT and now by CPSC. 

Consumer Product Safety Commission was created and took over administration of the Federal Hazardous Substances Labeling Act duties originally assigned to the FDA. 

The FHSA (originally entitled the Federal Hazardous Substances Labeling Act) was enacted in 1960 to require precautionary labeling on household products which are capable of causing substantial injury or illness as a result of foreseeable handling or use. Until the CPSC s creation in 1972, the FHSA was implemented by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). 

Any consumer product or hazardous substance, labeled under the Consumer Product Safety Act. 

Under the Hazardous Materials Transportation Act, fuel oils are designated as hazardous substances subject to special requirements for packaging, labeling, and transportation (DOT 1989a, 1989b). 

This one costly human error had a considerable effect on the Congress, just then in the process of hammering out certain provisions of TSCA—The Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976. In particular those sections dealing with the premarket testing of hazardous chemicals, their labeling and distribution were affected (ref. 154). 

Consumer Products. The Consumer Product Safety Commission s (CPSC) labeling criteria under the Federal Hazardous Substances Act are based on biological testing. In the absence of specific data, CPSC requires specific cautionary statements for consumer products containing certain types and amounts of sodium siUcates (87). 

US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) (1992) Labeling requirements for art materials presenting chronic hazards guidelines for determining chronic toxicity of products subject to the FHSA supplementary definition of toxic under the Federal Hazardous Substances Act final rules. Federal Register 57 46626—46674 (1992). 

Title 16—Commercial Practices (This title includes Consumer Product Safety Regulations, such as the Federal Hazardous Substances Act, which are important to labeling considerations for chemical products)... 

Hazardous Substances Act as amended supercedes the earlier legislation this Act is administered by the Consumer Products Safety Commission at present. Other Acts also include precautionary labeling provisions, for example the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act, administered by the Environmental Protection Agency. The Occupational Safety and Health Act, administered by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration contains provisions for precautionary labeling. Other label requirements of principal interest to the chemical industry are also contained in the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, The Toxic Substance Control Act, and the Transportation Act. 

A U.S. law that requires that certain poisons, snch as chemical pesticides, sold to the public contain labels that carry health hazard warnings to protect nsers. It is administered by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). See also Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA) of 1976. 

Consumer products subjected to the labeling requirements of the terms as defined in the Consumer Product Safety Act and the Federal Hazardous Substances Act. 

A recent report co-authored by a CPSC staff member concluded that "if a substance is considered "hazardous," then the Federal Hazardous Substances Act (FHSA) requires cautionary labeling to address the principal hazard presented by the product and instructions for safe use, handling and storage of the product" (Thomas et al., 2006). If a substance is determined to be hazardous and the label deemed inadequate to protect pubhc health and safety, then the CPSC can ban the substance. 

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