Depending on where you live, kids are either already back in school, or preparing to be soon. That means parents everywhere are doing the School Supply Samba. If you have kids, you know that dance— back and forth between the big box and office supply stores to make the purchases from that inevitably impossible-to-complete school supply list.
This year, however, something is different. This year, the dance needs to be done with warnings of possible danger from exposure to harmful chemicals in mind. The team at Mamavation, which has published on everything from toxic cash register receipts to non-toxic and eco-friendly school supplies, sounded the alarm recently about testing that found Asbestos and other developmental toxins in crayons, 3-ring binders, and dry erase markers. For the school market, and other products you sell that are child-appealing it can be easy, but possibly dangerous, to assume that products are safe. After all, who would have thought there could be anything wrong with crayons?
The Federation of State Public Interest Research Groups (PIRG) recently conducted laboratory tests for toxic chemicals in 27 different popular school supplies. Researchers tested markers (washable and dry-erase), crayons, glue (liquid and sticks), spiral notebooks, rulers, 3-ring binders, lunchboxes, and water bottles for toxic chemicals such as lead, Asbestos, phthalates, BTEX compounds (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene), and bisphenol-A (BPA). The supplies were purchased from across the country at a wide variety of stores, including big box stores, dollar stores, drug stores, online retailers, and arts and crafts stores.
Among the school supplies surveyed, PIRG found Playskool crayons from Dollar Tree that contained asbestos, a Jot-brand blue 3-ring binder from Dollar Tree that contained high levels of phthalates, and dry-erase markers from the Board Dudes and Amazon that contained benzene. Results significant enough to raise concerns about the safety of the category in general.
So, what were the takeaways for PIRG, and what can you do to keep kids safe?
1. Some of these school products contain toxic chemicals that have been recalled. The CPSC mandates that products for children should have less than 100 ppm of lead.
2. Some contain toxic substances that, while not banned by the federal government, could possibly pose a risk to children. As crazy as it sounds, it is legal to have asbestos in crayons.
There are two things you can take as safety action items:
1. First, look for the Art and Creative Materials Institute (ACMI) "AP" label on school supplies, it identifies products as non-toxic. If there is no AP label, look for the manufacturer's "children's product certificate" on the product, as required under CPSC guidelines for products intended for children under the age of 12.
2. Download the PIRG School Supplies Shopping Guide. It’s 28 pages designed to help you make more informed decisions on school supplies. Best of all, it’s free.
Now, on a little lighter note, let’s hear it for the Trapper Keeper! It wasn’t tested in this research, but I have fond memories of what was my favorite school supply. Every year I remember picking out my favorite color and design of what has since been called “the greatest three-ring binder ever created”. Now, that may be a stretch, but I doubt that another school supply has a written history quite like Mead’s Trapper Keeper does. Engadget went so far as to suggest that the way the Trapper Keeper combined all of your school desktop tools, it was “an early incarnation of the smartphone.” Now that’s saying something. How about you, do you remember school supply shopping for your favorite item? I bet product safety didn’t even cross your mind at the time.
Jeff Jacobs has been an expert in building brands and brand stewardship for 40 years, working in commercial television, Hollywood film and home video, publishing, and promotional brand merchandise. He’s a staunch advocate of consumer product safety and has a deep passion and belief regarding the issues surrounding compliance and corporate social responsibility. He retired as executive director of Quality Certification Alliance, the only non-profit dedicated to helping suppliers provide safe and compliant promotional products. Before that, he was director of brand merchandise for Michelin. You can find him volunteering as a Guardian ad Litem, traveling the world with his lovely wife, or enjoying a cigar at his favorite local cigar shop. Connect with Jeff on Twitter, LinkedIn, or Instagram, or reach out to him at jacobs.jeffreyp@gmail.com.