The governor of Washington state signed HB 1551 into Laws ( Chapte r 340) on March 28, 2024. The law is e ffective on June 6, 2024. Beginning January 1, 2026: – No manufacturer may manufacture, sell, offer for sale, distribute for sale, or distribute for use in this state cookware or a cookware component containing lead or lead compounds at a level of more than five parts per million. – No retailer or wholesaler may knowingly sell or knowingly offer for sale for use in this state cookware or a cookware component containing lead or lead compounds at a level of more than five parts per million. After December 2034, the Washington state department of ecology, in consultation with the department of health, may lower the above-mentioned limit if it determines that the lower limit is: – feasible for cookware and cookware component manufacturers to achieve; and – necessary to protect human health, including the health of vulnerable populations. According to the law: – «Cookware» means any metal pots, pans, bakeware, rice cookers, pressure cookers, and other containers and devices intended for the preparation or storage of food. – «Component» includes separate or distinct parts of the cookware including, but not limited to, accessories such as lids, knobs, handles and handle assemblies, rivets, fasteners, valves, and vent pipes.
USA – Washington has Enacted Legislation to Regulate Lead in Cookware
