Last year, amid the news that high levels of lead (Pb) were found in some artificial grass products, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) requested that ASTM* develop a reasonable total lead (Pb) content standard for artificial grass yarns that our industry could voluntarily support and continue to produce products that would meet or exceed safety and quality watermarks set by programs such as the Consumer Product Improvement Act (CPSIA); signed into law by former-President George W Bush in August 2008.
The industry’s chain of suppliers, from resin and pigment companies to the yarn manufacturers, tufting mills and finishers rallied to the call to participate with ASTM on this huge undertaking and developed just such a standard and relevant testing protocols to insure products can be measured accurately and effectively.
ASTM will be publishing it’s new voluntary standard under the designation of “F 2765” and it will limit total lead content to 300 ppm until August
2011 when that will decrease to total lead content of only 100 ppm. Unless marketed to children under the age of 12; the CPSC considers artificial grass and synthetic turf a “consumer product” and lead (Pb) levels of today’s products would generally conform to requirements – any products that exceed 600 ppm would be BANNED in children’s markets, as of February 12, 2009 (see CPSIA info on ASGi CPSC Portal Page – [http://www.asgi.us/cpsc/] – (watch the video, it has the whole story and guides)
ASTM committee members voted to pass the standard, at the beginning of July (2009), after many months of study, testing, and preliminary discussion. They will publicly announce this new designation, any day now, and it will take “effect” as soon as September 2009 – so watch for more updates and new postings as this rolls out to the public.