House Bill Would Require Labeling of Household Product Ingredients

Legislation introduced on June 25 and announced on July 6, would require the ingredients of household cleaners, pesticides, epoxies, paints, and stains to be named on product labels.

The bill, H.R. 3057, sponsored by Rep. Steve Israel (D-N.Y.), would require that companies provide a complete and accurate list of all ingredients on the product container or product packaging, within one year of passage.

Currently, only active ingredients must be listed on pesticides; other products do not have to name ingredients at all.

The bill authorizes the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to issue any regulations it deems necessary to carry out the law, including exempting products from coverage.

The legislation has raised concerns at the Consumer Specialty Products Association (CSPA), which represents more than 200 companies making a variety of household, institutional, and industrial products. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, not CPSC, has jurisdiction over pesticides and antimicrobial products, and according to Phil Klein, senior vice president for legislative affairs at CSPA, giving both agencies jurisdiction over those products could cause confusion.

In addition to listing ingredients on the label, manufacturers can list them on websites or provide the information through a toll-free number.

The legislation was referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

For more information: contact NPCA/FSCT's Stacey-Ann Taylor

Date Posted: July 15, 2009