The American Society of Glass and Ceramic Decorators (SGCD) Board of Directors unanimously approved the tightening of the decorating industry“s Voluntary Lip & Rim Standards covering leachability fro…
The American Society of Glass and Ceramic Decorators (SGCD) Board of Directors unanimously approved the tightening of the decorating industry“s Voluntary Lip & Rim Standards covering leachability from the outside rim (top 20 mm) of a mug, cup or tumbler. To comply with SGCD“s new standard, lip and rim surfaces may not leach more than 25 ppm of lead and 1.75 ppm of cadmium. Changing technology and materials development in the decorating industry have enabled decorators to achieve the new limits. To document compliance with the voluntary standards, SGCD members submit leachability test results to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). SGCD president Pete Cassebeer of Engelhard Corp. said that “it is through continued voluntary cooperation with regulatory bodies that we demonstrate how private industry works to protect the consuming public without the need for extensive regulations.” “The easiest way to insure compliance with the voluntary standard is not to decorate in the lip and rim area at all”, according to Wayne Zitkus, technical director of Libbey Inc. He also noted that “many decorators have adopted that practice as a matter of company policy”. The original voluntary standards were adopted by SGCD in 1978 and were endorsed by the US FDA, Environmental Protection Agency and Consumer Product Safety Commission when published in the Federal Register on 15 December 1978. In 1993, SGCD members determined that tightened standards were attainable, and SGCD recommended that FDA recognise reduced leaching limits. Although FDA has taken no action on this recommendation in the intervening period, the Canadian government has proposed adopting the lower SGCD-recommended standards in pending regulations. As the standards are voluntary, formal FDA approval is not required. Highly accurate leachability tests endorsed by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), one of the largest standards development systems in the world, are utilised by both decorators and the FDA to ensure that decorators comply with the voluntary standard. Cassebeer noted that “our regular test data submissions demonstrate our commitment to public safety and health”. For membership information or for a list of test labs that are experienced in performing the ASTM tests, please contact SGCD at Tel:+ 1 202 728 4132.