NGO, Environmental Working Group (EWG) Action Fund, is calling for a ban on the mineral talc in children's products because asbestos contamination can occur in the ground.

The NGO carried out tests on certain children's products and found the presence of asbestos in some crayon boxes and crime scene fingerprint kits. Asbestos and talc, which is used as a binding agent in crayons and other products, are often found in close proximity in the earth, resulting in cross contamination, according to the US FDA. The EWG says: “As the lab tests demonstrate, voluntary action by companies has not been enough to ensure that talc is free of asbestos.”

In 2000, the CPSC staff report confirmed that trace amounts of anthophyllite asbestos were found in some crayons in concentrations of 0.03% and under, and that other fibres (“transitional fibres”) were found in concentrations up to 1.25%.

CPSC itself recognised, that inhalation of asbestos fibres could lead to mesothelioma, lung cancer and asbestosis, and that there is no safe level of asbestos exposure.

CPSC staff determined that a child would be exposed to the fibres, through inhalation or ingestion of crayons containing asbestos and transitional fibres, given their findings that fibres were not released into the air during colouring, and that ingested fibres would remain embedded in the crayon wax and would pass through the body.

In April 2015, the NGO proposed the Reducing Exposure to Asbestos Database (READ) Act (HR 2030) in the house, intending to monitor asbestos and asbestos-like fibres in consumer products.

Children's products sold into the US must meet standards outlined in the Consumer Products Safety Act (CPSA), Consumer Products Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) and the Federal Hazardous Substances Act (FHSA). According to the EWG report, only the State of Connecticut specifically bans asbestos in children's products. However, whether the passage of HR 2030 will lead to other similar bills in other parts of the United States?

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