SG 100/25
The US state of Minnesota has revised its law on lead and cadmium in consumer products.
In 2023, Minnesota signed HF 2310 (Chapter 60) into law to restrict lead and cadmium in 15 categories of products:
- Chalk, crayons, paints and other art supplies
- Clothing, footwear, headwear and accessories
- Cosmetics and personal care products
- Costumes, costume accessories and children’s and seasonal party supplies
- Craft supplies and jewelry-making supplies
- Cups, bowls and other food containers
- Fidget spinners
- Jewelry
- Keys, key chains and key rings
- Outdoor games
- Play sets and play structures
- Pots and pans
- Puzzles, board games, card games and similar games
- School supplies
- Toys
These restrictions, codified as Minnesota Statutes 325E.3892 under the state’s trade regulations in relation to consumer products, exempt goods containing lead or cadmium, or both metals, when legislation is preempted by federal law.
In 2024, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) issued a guideline to assist stakeholders with the aforementioned law (SafeGuardS 64/24 and references therein).
On June 14, 2025, the governor of Minnesota approved HF 4 (Chapter 4). Sections 27 and 28 of this budget and appropriation bill expand the list of products that are exempt from the state’s lead and cadmium requirements under Minnesota Statutes 2024, Section 325.3892.
Highlights of the exemptions in HF 4 include:
- Excludes ink pens and mechanical pencils from the product category of ‘school supplies’
- Specifies ‘paint’ in the ‘chalk, crayons, paints and other art supplies’ product category to ‘children’s paints’
- Excludes ‘professional artist materials, including but not limited to oil-based paints, water-based paints, paints, pastels, pigments, ceramic glazes, markers, and encaustics’ from the product category of ‘chalk, crayons, children's paints, and other art supplies’
- Products that contain lead only in the solder of internal components, provided the product is not made available after July 1, 2028, and the product manufacturer submits biennial reports detailing the barriers to remove lead and timeline to fully adopt a lead-free alternative
- Keys that contain lead and are made available before July 1, 2028
- Keys that contain at least 1.5% lead and made available after July 1, 2028
- Cast iron or steel pots and pans that contain no more than 90 ppm lead but with a vitreous enamel containing cadmium that does not come into contact with food
This amendment became effective on June 15, 2025 – the day following its final enactment.
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