CPSC delays lead testing rule

WASHINGTON, Feb. 5 (UPI) -- The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is delaying the requirement that children's toys, books, clothes and jewelry be tested for lead and phthalates.

The rule, part of a ban on selling children's items containing the chemicals that goes into effect Tuesday, was delayed until 2010.

Under the new law, children's products with more than 600 ppm total lead cannot lawfully be sold in the United States. The total lead limit drops to 300 ppm in August.

Once the testing requirement goes into effect, manufacturers, importers and retailers must have certificates showing their products were tested and meet the new limits, USA Today reported Thursday.