Notice of Consultation Pursuant to Section 106 of the CPSIA; Request for Comments and Information, 35848-35850 [E9-17198]

Download as PDF 35848 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 138 / Tuesday, July 21, 2009 / Notices Bahraini certain compacted ring spun cotton yarns. On July 7, 2009, the United States received additional information from Bahrain to address certain issues with respect to the April 1 request, including identification that the subject request is for certain compacted, single, ring spun cotton yarns classified in subheadings 5205.27.0020 and 5205.28.0020 of the HTSUS. CITA is soliciting public comments regarding this request, particularly with respect to whether certain compacted, single, ring spun cotton yarns described above can be supplied by the domestic industry in commercial quantities in a timely manner. Comments must be received no later than August 20, 2009. Interested persons are invited to submit six copies of such comments or information to the Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements, Room 3001, U.S. Department of Commerce, 14th and Constitution Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20230. CITA will protect any business confidential information that is marked business confidential from disclosure to the full extent permitted by law. CITA will make available to the public nonconfidential versions of the request and non-confidential versions of any public comments received with respect to a request in room 3001 in the Herbert Hoover Building, 14th and Constitution Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20230. Persons submitting comments on a request are encouraged to include a nonconfidential version and a nonconfidential summary. Janet E. Heinzen, Acting Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements. [FR Doc. E9–17277 Filed 7–20–09; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510–DS COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION jlentini on DSKJ8SOYB1PROD with NOTICES Sunshine Act Meetings AGENCY HOLDING THE MEETING: Commodity Futures Trading Commission (Commission). DATES AND TIME: Tuesday, July 28, 2009, Wednesday, July 29, 2009 and Wednesday, August 5, 2009, commencing each day at 9 a.m. and ending at 1 p.m. PLACE: Three Lafayette Center, 1155 21st St., NW., Washington, DC, Lobby Level Hearing Room (Room 1000). STATUS: Open. MATTERS TO BE CONSIDERED: Public hearings to examine Federal position VerDate Nov<24>2008 16:50 Jul 20, 2009 Jkt 217001 limits, particularly as related to the energy markets, and hedge exemptions on regulated futures exchanges, derivatives transaction execution facilities and electronic trading facilities with respect to a significant price discovery contract. CONTACT PERSONS AND ADDRESSES: Written materials should be mailed to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Three Lafayette Center, 1155 21st Street, NW., Washington, DC 20581, attention Office of the Secretariat; transmitted by facsimile at 202–418–5521; or transmitted electronically to [secretary@cftc.gov]. Reference should be made to ‘‘position limits and hedge exemptions.’’ For substantive questions, please contact Sauntia Warfield, 202– 518–5084. The Commission is undertaking a review of issues related to Federal position limits and hedge exemptions on regulated futures exchanges, derivatives transaction execution facilities and electronic trading facilities with respect to a significant price discovery contract. In furtherance of that review, the Commission hereby announces that it will hold public hearings on Tuesday, July 28, 2009, Wednesday, July 29, 2009 and Wednesday, August 5, 2009 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. each day, at the Commission headquarters in Washington, DC. At these hearings the Commission will have oral presentations by panels of witnesses representing segments of the futures market participants and academics. Members of Congress also are expected to present their views. These hearings will generally focus on a number of issues, including: the application of federal speculative position limits to address the burdens of excessive speculation; how such limits should be structured; how such limits should be set; the aggregation of positions across different markets; and the types of exemptions, if any, that should be permitted. A transcript of the hearing will be made and entered into the Commission’s public comment files, which will remain open for the receipt of written comments until August 12, 2009. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Issued in Washington, DC, on July 17, 2009, by the Commission. David Stawick, Secretary of the Commission. [FR Doc. E9–17421 Filed 7–17–09; 4:15 pm] BILLING CODE 6351–01–P PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION Notice of Consultation Pursuant to Section 106 of the CPSIA; Request for Comments and Information AGENCY: Consumer Product Safety Commission. ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: Section 106 of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (CPSIA) requires the Consumer Product Safety Commission (‘‘CPSC’’ or ‘‘Commission’’) to examine and assess, in consultation with consumer groups, juvenile product manufacturers, and independent child product engineers and experts, the effectiveness of ASTM F963–07, ‘‘Standard Consumer Safety Specification for Toy Safety,’’ or its successor standard (except for section 4.2 and Annex 4), as it relates safety requirements, safety labeling requirements, and test methods related to: (1) Internal harm or injury hazards caused by the ingestion or inhalation of magnets in children’s products; (2) toxic substances; (3) toys with spherical ends; (4) hemispheric-shaped objects; (5) cords, straps, and elastics; and (6) battery-operated toys. This notice is issued to facilitate the receipt of any written submissions on these matters as part of the consultative process required by section 106 of the CPSIA. The Commission invites comments concerning the issues discussed in this notice. DATES: Comments and submissions in response to this notice must be received by August 20, 2009. ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by Docket No. CPSC–2009– 0047, by any of the following methods: Electronic Submissions Submit electronic comments in the following way: Federal eRulemaking Portal: https:// www.regulations.gov. Follow the instructions for submitting comments. To ensure timely processing of comments, the Commission is no longer accepting comments submitted by electronic mail (e-mail) except through https://www.regulations.gov. Written Submissions Submit written submissions in the following way: Mail/Hand delivery/Courier (for paper, disk, or CD–ROM submissions), preferably in five copies, to: Office of the Secretary, Consumer Product Safety Commission, Room 502, 4330 East West Highway, Bethesda, MD 20814; telephone (301) 504–7923. E:\FR\FM\21JYN1.SGM 21JYN1 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 138 / Tuesday, July 21, 2009 / Notices Instructions: All submissions received must include the agency name and docket number for this notice. All comments received may be posted without change, including any personal identifiers, contact information, or other personal information provided, to https://www.regulations.gov. Do not submit confidential business information, trade secret information, or other sensitive or protected information electronically. Such information should be submitted in writing. Docket: For access to the docket to read background documents or comments received, go to https:// www.regulations.gov. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jonathan Midgett, PhD, Office of Hazard Identification and Reduction, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, 4330 East-West Highway, Suite 600, Bethesda, MD 20814; telephone (301) 504–7692; e-mail jmidgett@cpsc.gov. The CPSIA was enacted on August 14, 2008. Section 106 of the CPSIA, ‘‘Mandatory Toy Safety Standards,’’ made ASTM International Standard F963–07, ‘‘Standard Consumer Safety Specification for Toy Safety’’ (ASTM F963), as it existed on August 14, 2008 (except for section 4.2 and Annex 4 or any provision that restates or incorporates an existing mandatory standard or ban promulgated by the Commission or by statute), into mandatory consumer product safety standards issued by the Commission under section 9 of the Consumer Product Safety Act (15 U.S.C. 2058). On February 17, 2009, ASTM proposed revisions in F963–08, a successor standard, for the Commission’s consideration. On May 13, 2009, the Commission voted to accept all of the proposed revisions in ASTM F963–08 except the revision that would have omitted section 4.27, which addresses toy chests, from the standard. The revisions in F963–08 that were accepted by the Commission will become mandatory consumer product safety standards on August 17, 2009. Section 106(b)(1) of the CPSIA requires the Commission, in consultation with representatives of consumer groups, juvenile product manufacturers, and independent child product engineers and experts, to examine and assess the effectiveness of ASTM F963 or its successor standard (except for section 4.2 and Annex 4), as it relates safety requirements, safety labeling requirements, and test methods related to: jlentini on DSKJ8SOYB1PROD with NOTICES SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: VerDate Nov<24>2008 16:50 Jul 20, 2009 Jkt 217001 (1) Internal harm or injury hazards caused by the ingestion or inhalation of magnets in children’s products; (2) Toxic substances; (3) Toys with spherical ends; (4) Hemispheric-shaped objects; (5) Cords, straps, and elastics; and (6) Battery-operated toys. Section 106(b)(2) of the CPSIA requires the Commission to promulgate consumer product safety standards that take into account other children’s product safety rules and are more stringent than such standards if the Commission determines that more stringent standards would further reduce the risk of injury associated with such products. As part of its efforts to comply with section 106 of the CPSIA, the Commission is issuing this notice in the Federal Register to invite public comment concerning the effectiveness of ASTM F963–08 in the following areas: 1. Hazardous Magnets—The requirements for toys with magnets address recent incidents involving small high-attraction-force magnets. Ingestion of these magnets can lead to perforations of the gut wall, causing infection, sepsis, or even death, as the magnets attract to each other through different sections of the intestines. To minimize the likelihood of children swallowing hazardous magnets, ASTM F963–08: a. Defines hazardous magnets and hazardous magnetic components as those being small parts and containing a magnet with a Flux Index of 50 or greater. b. Specifies a method for determining a magnet’s Flux Index using a gauss meter. c. Prohibits magnetic toys for children up to age 14 from containing hazardous magnets or magnetic components. d. Specifies use and abuse test methods for magnetic toys that are not small parts, but have embedded hazardous magnets, to ensure that hazardous magnets will not liberate from the toy during normal usage. This test method includes cyclic and impact testing. e. Allows hazardous magnets and hazardous magnetic components in hobby, craft and science kits for children over 8 years of age, provided that they contain a hazardous magnet warning. f. Does not require a hazardous magnet warning on magnetic toys that are not small parts, but have embedded hazardous magnets, provided that they pass the specified use and abuse test methods. PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 35849 2. Toxic Substances—The requirements address the risks of exposure to toxic substances. To minimize the likelihood of exposure to toxic substances, ASTM F963–08 addresses the following areas: a. Federally prohibited hazardous substances; b. Food and food packaging; c. Food additives; d. Toys in contact with food; e. Ceramicware, lead and cadmium contamination; f. Cosmetics; g. Paint and similar coatings; h. Liquids, pastes, putties, gels and powders; i. Stuffing materials; and j. DI (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) (also known as dioctyl phthalate (DOP)). 3. Toys with spherical ends—The requirements address potential impaction hazards for children up to 48 months with certain toys containing spherical ends. To minimize the likelihood of impaction hazards, ASTM F963–08: a. Requires toys weighing less than 1.1-pounds for children up to 18 months that incorporate spherical, hemispherical, or flared ends and are attached to a shaft, handle or support that has a smaller cross section to meet the specified dimensional requirements. b. Requires toys weighing less than 1.1-pounds for children 18 to 48 months having nail, screw or bolt shapes with spherical or hemispherical ends attached to a shaft or handle to meet the specified dimensional requirements. c. Requires preschool play figures for children less than 3 years of age with a round, spherical, or hemispherical end and tapered neck attached to a cylindrical shape and an overall length of 2.5-inches or less to meet the specified dimensional requirements. 4. Hemispheric-shaped objects—The requirements address potential asphyxiation hazards with ‘‘cup’’ shaped objects that have the potential to fit on a child’s face and allow a vacuum to be formed. To minimize the likelihood of these types of hazards, ASTM F963–08 requires certain toy cup, bowl or half-egg shaped objects to meet certain specified dimensional and opening requirements. 5. Cords, straps and elastics—The requirements address potential entanglement and strangulation hazards associated with cords, straps and elastics. To minimize the likelihood of these types of hazards, ASTM F963–08: a. Requires toys for children less than 18 months with straps or elastics attached or included to be less than 12inches in the free-state and under a 5pound load. E:\FR\FM\21JYN1.SGM 21JYN1 35850 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 138 / Tuesday, July 21, 2009 / Notices b. Requires cords, straps and elastics that can form a loop to not admit a head probe when tested under the specified conditions. c. Requires cords, straps and elastics that admit the base of the head probe to contain breakaway features that release at less than 5-pounds when tested in accordance with the specified conditions. d. Requires certain toys with selfretracting pull cords for children less than 18 months of age to not retract under load in accordance with the specified conditions. e. Requires cords, straps and elastics greater than 12-inches long for children less than 36 months of age to not contain beads or other attachments that could tangle to form a loop. f. Requires toy bags for children up to 18 months of age that have a perimeter opening greater than 14-inches to not have a drawstring or cord as a means of closing. 6. Battery-Operated Toys—The requirements of F963–08 address the following areas to minimize the risk associated with battery operated toys: a. Battery overheating; b. Leakage; c. Explosion and fire; and d. Swallowing of batteries. 7. Comments may also be submitted on any other section of ASTM F963–08. Please note that all comments should be restricted to children’s toy safety. A link to ASTM F963–07 and F963– 08, in a ‘‘read-only’’ format, may be viewed on ASTM’s Web site at https:// www.astm.org/cpsc.htm. Comments submitted must follow the directions provided in the ADDRESSES section of this notice. All comments and submissions should be received no later than August 20, 2009. Dated: July 14, 2009. Todd A. Stevenson, Secretary, Consumer Product Safety Commission. [FR Doc. E9–17198 Filed 7–20–09; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6355–01–P DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION jlentini on DSKJ8SOYB1PROD with NOTICES NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION [OMB Control No. 9000–0152] Federal Acquisition Regulation; Submission for OMB Review; Service Contracting AGENCY: Department of Defense (DOD), General Services Administration (GSA), VerDate Nov<24>2008 16:50 Jul 20, 2009 Jkt 217001 and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). ACTION: Notice of request for public comments regarding an extension to an existing OMB clearance. SUMMARY: Under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35), the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Secretariat will be submitting to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) a request to review and approve an extension of a currently approved information collection requirement concerning service contracting. A request for public comments was published in the Federal Register at 74 FR 18718 on April 24, 2009. No comments were received. Public comments are particularly invited on: Whether this collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of functions of the FAR, and whether it will have practical utility; whether our estimate of the public burden of this collection of information is accurate, and based on valid assumptions and methodology; ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and ways in which we can minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are to respond, through the use of appropriate technological collection techniques or other forms of information technology. DATES: Submit comments on or before August 20, 2009. ADDRESSES: Submit comments, including suggestions for reducing this burden to: FAR Desk Officer, OMB, Room 10102, NEOB, Washington, DC 20503, and a copy to the General Services Administration, Regulatory Secretariat (VPR), 1800 F Street, NW., Room 4041, Washington, DC 20405. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Warren Blankenship, Contract Policy Division, GSA, (202) 501–1900. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: A. Purpose This FAR requirement implements the statutory requirements of Sec. 834, Public Law 101–510, concerning uncompensated overtime. The coverage requires that offerors identify uncompensated overtime hours and the uncompensated overtime rate for direct charge Fair Labor Standards Act– exempt personnel. These overtime hours and rates are included in the offeror’s proposals and their subcontractor’s proposals for procurements valued at or above the simplified acquisition threshold. This permits Government contracting officers PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 to ascertain cost realism of proposed labor rates for professional employees. B. Annual Reporting Burden Number of Respondents: 19,906. Responses Per Respondent: 1. Annual Responses: 19,906. Average Burden Per Response: 30 minutes. Total Burden Hours: 9,953. Obtaining Copies of Proposals: Requesters may obtain a copy of the information collection documents from the General Services Administration, Regulatory Secretariat (VPR), 1800 F Street, Room 4041, NW., Washington, DC 20405, telephone (202) 501–4755. Please cite OMB Control Number 9000– 0152, Service Contracting, in all correspondence. Dated: July 15, 2009. Al Matera, Director, Office of Acquisition Policy. [FR Doc. E9–17271 Filed 7–20–09; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6820–EP–P DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION [OMB Control No. 9000–0149] Federal Acquisition Regulation; Submission for OMB Review; Subcontract Consent AGENCY: Department of Defense (DOD), General Services Administration (GSA), and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). ACTION: Notice of request for public comments regarding an extension to an existing OMB clearance. SUMMARY: Under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35), the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Secretariat will be submitting to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) a request to review and approve an extension of a currently approved information collection requirement concerning subcontract consent. A request for public comments was published in the Federal Register at 74 FR 18717, on April 24, 2009. No comments were received. Public comments are particularly invited on: Whether this collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of functions of the FAR, and whether it will have practical utility; whether our estimate of the public burden of this collection of E:\FR\FM\21JYN1.SGM 21JYN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 138 (Tuesday, July 21, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 35848-35850]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-17198]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION


Notice of Consultation Pursuant to Section 106 of the CPSIA; 
Request for Comments and Information

AGENCY: Consumer Product Safety Commission.

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: Section 106 of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 
2008 (CPSIA) requires the Consumer Product Safety Commission (``CPSC'' 
or ``Commission'') to examine and assess, in consultation with consumer 
groups, juvenile product manufacturers, and independent child product 
engineers and experts, the effectiveness of ASTM F963-07, ``Standard 
Consumer Safety Specification for Toy Safety,'' or its successor 
standard (except for section 4.2 and Annex 4), as it relates safety 
requirements, safety labeling requirements, and test methods related 
to: (1) Internal harm or injury hazards caused by the ingestion or 
inhalation of magnets in children's products; (2) toxic substances; (3) 
toys with spherical ends; (4) hemispheric-shaped objects; (5) cords, 
straps, and elastics; and (6) battery-operated toys. This notice is 
issued to facilitate the receipt of any written submissions on these 
matters as part of the consultative process required by section 106 of 
the CPSIA. The Commission invites comments concerning the issues 
discussed in this notice.

DATES: Comments and submissions in response to this notice must be 
received by August 20, 2009.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by Docket No. CPSC-2009-
0047, by any of the following methods:

Electronic Submissions

    Submit electronic comments in the following way:
    Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov. Follow the 
instructions for submitting comments. To ensure timely processing of 
comments, the Commission is no longer accepting comments submitted by 
electronic mail (e-mail) except through https://www.regulations.gov.

Written Submissions

    Submit written submissions in the following way:
    Mail/Hand delivery/Courier (for paper, disk, or CD-ROM 
submissions), preferably in five copies, to: Office of the Secretary, 
Consumer Product Safety Commission, Room 502, 4330 East West Highway, 
Bethesda, MD 20814; telephone (301) 504-7923.

[[Page 35849]]

    Instructions: All submissions received must include the agency name 
and docket number for this notice. All comments received may be posted 
without change, including any personal identifiers, contact 
information, or other personal information provided, to https://www.regulations.gov. Do not submit confidential business information, 
trade secret information, or other sensitive or protected information 
electronically. Such information should be submitted in writing.
    Docket: For access to the docket to read background documents or 
comments received, go to https://www.regulations.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jonathan Midgett, PhD, Office of 
Hazard Identification and Reduction, U.S. Consumer Product Safety 
Commission, 4330 East-West Highway, Suite 600, Bethesda, MD 20814; 
telephone (301) 504-7692; e-mail jmidgett@cpsc.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The CPSIA was enacted on August 14, 2008. 
Section 106 of the CPSIA, ``Mandatory Toy Safety Standards,'' made ASTM 
International Standard F963-07, ``Standard Consumer Safety 
Specification for Toy Safety'' (ASTM F963), as it existed on August 14, 
2008 (except for section 4.2 and Annex 4 or any provision that restates 
or incorporates an existing mandatory standard or ban promulgated by 
the Commission or by statute), into mandatory consumer product safety 
standards issued by the Commission under section 9 of the Consumer 
Product Safety Act (15 U.S.C. 2058).
    On February 17, 2009, ASTM proposed revisions in F963-08, a 
successor standard, for the Commission's consideration. On May 13, 
2009, the Commission voted to accept all of the proposed revisions in 
ASTM F963-08 except the revision that would have omitted section 4.27, 
which addresses toy chests, from the standard. The revisions in F963-08 
that were accepted by the Commission will become mandatory consumer 
product safety standards on August 17, 2009.
    Section 106(b)(1) of the CPSIA requires the Commission, in 
consultation with representatives of consumer groups, juvenile product 
manufacturers, and independent child product engineers and experts, to 
examine and assess the effectiveness of ASTM F963 or its successor 
standard (except for section 4.2 and Annex 4), as it relates safety 
requirements, safety labeling requirements, and test methods related 
to:
    (1) Internal harm or injury hazards caused by the ingestion or 
inhalation of magnets in children's products;
    (2) Toxic substances;
    (3) Toys with spherical ends;
    (4) Hemispheric-shaped objects;
    (5) Cords, straps, and elastics; and
    (6) Battery-operated toys.
    Section 106(b)(2) of the CPSIA requires the Commission to 
promulgate consumer product safety standards that take into account 
other children's product safety rules and are more stringent than such 
standards if the Commission determines that more stringent standards 
would further reduce the risk of injury associated with such products.
    As part of its efforts to comply with section 106 of the CPSIA, the 
Commission is issuing this notice in the Federal Register to invite 
public comment concerning the effectiveness of ASTM F963-08 in the 
following areas:
    1. Hazardous Magnets--The requirements for toys with magnets 
address recent incidents involving small high-attraction-force magnets. 
Ingestion of these magnets can lead to perforations of the gut wall, 
causing infection, sepsis, or even death, as the magnets attract to 
each other through different sections of the intestines. To minimize 
the likelihood of children swallowing hazardous magnets, ASTM F963-08:
    a. Defines hazardous magnets and hazardous magnetic components as 
those being small parts and containing a magnet with a Flux Index of 50 
or greater.
    b. Specifies a method for determining a magnet's Flux Index using a 
gauss meter.
    c. Prohibits magnetic toys for children up to age 14 from 
containing hazardous magnets or magnetic components.
    d. Specifies use and abuse test methods for magnetic toys that are 
not small parts, but have embedded hazardous magnets, to ensure that 
hazardous magnets will not liberate from the toy during normal usage. 
This test method includes cyclic and impact testing.
    e. Allows hazardous magnets and hazardous magnetic components in 
hobby, craft and science kits for children over 8 years of age, 
provided that they contain a hazardous magnet warning.
    f. Does not require a hazardous magnet warning on magnetic toys 
that are not small parts, but have embedded hazardous magnets, provided 
that they pass the specified use and abuse test methods.
    2. Toxic Substances--The requirements address the risks of exposure 
to toxic substances. To minimize the likelihood of exposure to toxic 
substances, ASTM F963-08 addresses the following areas:
    a. Federally prohibited hazardous substances;
    b. Food and food packaging;
    c. Food additives;
    d. Toys in contact with food;
    e. Ceramicware, lead and cadmium contamination;
    f. Cosmetics;
    g. Paint and similar coatings;
    h. Liquids, pastes, putties, gels and powders;
    i. Stuffing materials; and
    j. DI (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) (also known as dioctyl 
phthalate (DOP)).
    3. Toys with spherical ends--The requirements address potential 
impaction hazards for children up to 48 months with certain toys 
containing spherical ends. To minimize the likelihood of impaction 
hazards, ASTM F963-08:
    a. Requires toys weighing less than 1.1-pounds for children up to 
18 months that incorporate spherical, hemispherical, or flared ends and 
are attached to a shaft, handle or support that has a smaller cross 
section to meet the specified dimensional requirements.
    b. Requires toys weighing less than 1.1-pounds for children 18 to 
48 months having nail, screw or bolt shapes with spherical or 
hemispherical ends attached to a shaft or handle to meet the specified 
dimensional requirements.
    c. Requires preschool play figures for children less than 3 years 
of age with a round, spherical, or hemispherical end and tapered neck 
attached to a cylindrical shape and an overall length of 2.5-inches or 
less to meet the specified dimensional requirements.
    4. Hemispheric-shaped objects--The requirements address potential 
asphyxiation hazards with ``cup'' shaped objects that have the 
potential to fit on a child's face and allow a vacuum to be formed. To 
minimize the likelihood of these types of hazards, ASTM F963-08 
requires certain toy cup, bowl or half-egg shaped objects to meet 
certain specified dimensional and opening requirements.
    5. Cords, straps and elastics--The requirements address potential 
entanglement and strangulation hazards associated with cords, straps 
and elastics. To minimize the likelihood of these types of hazards, 
ASTM F963-08:
    a. Requires toys for children less than 18 months with straps or 
elastics attached or included to be less than 12-inches in the free-
state and under a 5-pound load.

[[Page 35850]]

    b. Requires cords, straps and elastics that can form a loop to not 
admit a head probe when tested under the specified conditions.
    c. Requires cords, straps and elastics that admit the base of the 
head probe to contain breakaway features that release at less than 5-
pounds when tested in accordance with the specified conditions.
    d. Requires certain toys with self-retracting pull cords for 
children less than 18 months of age to not retract under load in 
accordance with the specified conditions.
    e. Requires cords, straps and elastics greater than 12-inches long 
for children less than 36 months of age to not contain beads or other 
attachments that could tangle to form a loop.
    f. Requires toy bags for children up to 18 months of age that have 
a perimeter opening greater than 14-inches to not have a drawstring or 
cord as a means of closing.
    6. Battery-Operated Toys--The requirements of F963-08 address the 
following areas to minimize the risk associated with battery operated 
toys:
    a. Battery overheating;
    b. Leakage;
    c. Explosion and fire; and
    d. Swallowing of batteries.
    7. Comments may also be submitted on any other section of ASTM 
F963-08. Please note that all comments should be restricted to 
children's toy safety.
    A link to ASTM F963-07 and F963-08, in a ``read-only'' format, may 
be viewed on ASTM's Web site at https://www.astm.org/cpsc.htm.
    Comments submitted must follow the directions provided in the 
ADDRESSES section of this notice. All comments and submissions should 
be received no later than August 20, 2009.

    Dated: July 14, 2009.
Todd A. Stevenson,
Secretary, Consumer Product Safety Commission.
[FR Doc. E9-17198 Filed 7-20-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6355-01-P
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.