The educated consumer has a heightened awareness of the need for safety in the products they use each day. Simultaneously, consumer products – particularly those used by children – are facing increasing regulation under the Consumer Product Safety Act (CPSA) and multiple more established state regulations, such as California’s Proposition 65. To proactively address the concerns of the public and regulators, many companies have created product stewardship and corporate responsibility programs. Gradient’s scientific expertise and regulatory knowledge can assist consumer product manufacturers with developing product stewardship programs, evaluating and communicating the safety of products to the public, and meeting the requirements of both well-established and new regulations.
Gradient Product Safety Experience Includes:
Lead-Based Paint in Consumer Products
Gradient evaluated the potential exposure to and risks associated with lead-based paint found on imported consumer products facing a national recall. We advised our client on appropriate laboratory analyses for evaluating exposure, estimated a child’s potential exposures to lead via hand-to-mouth contact, and performed blood lead modeling to determine the impact of exposure.
Ecological Risk Screening for Personal Care Products
Gradient developed a screening protocol to evaluate ecological risks from ingredients in personal care products, such as skin lotions and cleansers. The protocol involved using quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) models and toxicity databases to enable rapid screening of large numbers of organic and inorganic chemicals without generating new data. Our screening procedure was used to identify ingredients that might pose environmental risks and to determine if the use of one substitute ingredient was warranted.
Safe Disposal of Commercial Products
Gradient developed a guidance document for proper disposal of cleaning and floor care products. We evaluated disposal to large centralized treatment plants (i.e., publicly owned treatment works [POTWs]) and smaller decentralized systems (i.e., septic systems) and described how the cleaning products could interfere with wastewater treatment processes, if disposed of improperly.
Review of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) Testing, Toxicity, and Product Safety
Gradient advised a company that makes absorbent clothing about regulatory issues, chemical testing methods, and potential toxicity of PFAS-containing materials. We provided insights into implications for the company regarding upstream suppliers and packaging label requirements.
