U.S. – CPSC Seeking Comments on Petition to Amend Standard for the Flammability of Clothing Textiles
Vol. 824 | 17 Apr 2015
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is seeking comments regarding a petition1 from the International Association of Users of Artificial and Synthetic Filament Yarns and of Natural Silk (AIUFFASS) to amend the test procedure in the Standard for the Flammability of Clothing Textiles, 16 CFR 1610.
The petitioner asserts that conditioning plain surface textile or raised fiber surface textile fabric samples per 16 CFR 1610 in an oven at 105 °C (221 °F) for 30 minutes, then placing them in a desiccator to cool prior to testing is inappropriate and unrealistic for silk fabrics, as silk is a hygroscopic fiber and under normal conditions of use its relative humidity is about 11% and never less than 9%.
Thus the petitioner requests that the 16 CFR 1610 standard be amended to require all clothing textile samples, including silk, be conditioned at a temperature of 21° ± 1 °C (70° ± 2 °F) and at a relative humidity of 65 ± 2% for at least 24 hours, per ASTM D1776-04, prior to testing. The petitioner is also requesting that the 16 CFR 1610 standard be amended to add a new subsection to apply conditioning per ASTM D1776-04 standard to the flammability testing of refurbished (i.e., laundered or dry cleaned) textiles.
Deadline for submitting comment on petition is June 8, 2015.
For questions, please contact:
Dr. Pratik Ichhaporia
Tel: +1.312.906.7720
Email: Pratik.Ichhaporia@intertek.com
1http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2015-04-08/pdf/2015-07907.pdf