(TÜV SÜD: Peabody, MA) -- In line with the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA), TÜV SÜD laboratories in Bangalore, India; Hong Kong; Singapore; and Munich, Germany, have received accreditation by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to carry out lead paint testing on children's products under 16 C.F.R. Part 1303 of the CPSIA. TÜV SÜD currently conducts seminars and trainings in various Asia Pacific locations to help manufacturers, importers, and retailers cope with and understand the implications on their operations.

CPSIA, enacted by U.S. Congress in August 2008, includes limits on lead and phthalates in children's products, certification requirements and mandatory toy standards, and third-party testing. The act affects a wide variety of products, including textiles, clothing, and footwear (softlines). The act will also affect retailers selling furniture, carpets, curtains, according to Carmen Hopwood, TÜV SÜD's marketing manager. To figure out what products a retailer needs to be concerned with, "our softlines experts can work with retailers to identify which products will require testing," says Hopwood.

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