The American Cleaning Institute has announced the approval of a new voluntary standard designed to help reduce liquid laundry detergent packet accidents among children.
The standard is on track for final approval later this month by ASTM International, a forum for establishing technical, consensus-based voluntary standards. The voluntary standard sets guidelines for the labeling and design of packets and packaging for liquid laundry detergent packets aimed at reducing accidental exposures, particularly by children.
“Manufacturers, the Consumer Product Safety Commission and consumer advocates came together over the past year under ASTM to evaluate numerous potential safety measures and ultimately chose a strong set of package and product design interventions supported by science and research,” said Richard Sedlak, executive vice president, technical and international affairs at the ACI. “The protective measures in this new standard are designed to help reduce further incidents.”
The standard includes a menu of secure package closures designed to challenge the typical strength, mental acuity or dexterity of young children. From this menu, manufacturers can choose a configuration that is effective at deterring child access while ensuring adults are able to open it and completely close it in between uses.
Under the new guidelines, warnings and immediate first-aid instructions if there is an accident will be standardized and prominent on packages.
The laundry packet standard also calls for other changes that were recently enacted in Europe, including: ensure packets can withstand the squeezing pressure of a child; include a soluble film containing a bitter substance; and use a film that delays release of liquid contents so that the bittering substance takes effect.
The laundry packet standard is expected to be published within the next month, at which point manufacturers will work with the CPSC on when changes will transition into the market.
