Art creative materials institute

This is an international association whose members are over 210 art and creative (read: craft?) material manufacturers. Founded in 1940, ACMI is an authority on art and craft materials. Its principal goal is to assist its members in providing the public with art and craft materials for children and artists that are non-toxic or properly labeled with safe use information whenever the use of a product could present an adverse health effect. ACMI said in 2004 that, "Of the 60,000 art and craft material formulations evaluated to date, 100% of the children's products and 85% of those meant for the adult artist are certified as non-toxic. All products in the program undergo extensive toxicological evaluation and testing before they are granted the right to bear the ACMI certification seals."ACMI's trademarked certification seals ? its health & safety labels:The AP or Approved Products Seal ? Non-ToxicProducts bearing the AP Approved Products Seal are certified by the Art & Creative Materials Institute (ACMI) to contain no materials in sufficient quantities to be toxic or injurious to humans or to cause chronic or acute health problems. These products are safe to use in the classroom, even with young children. The statement "Conforms to ASTM D-4236" indicates that the product conforms to the chronic hazard labeling standard and the requirements of the Labeling of Hazardous Art Materials Act (LHAMA). "If the product is non-toxic, then no warning needs to be included on the label. However, if the product is found to carry acute or chronic health hazards, the information on the label must alert the consumer to those hazards, and would carry a CL Seal if evaluated by ACMI."The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is the US federal agency charged with enforcing the Labeling of Hazardous Art Materials Act (LHAMA). The law requires art material labels to (a) carry a warning statement identifying chronic health hazards, (b) list the ingredients causing those hazards, and (c) provide directions for safe use of the product. The phrase, "Conforms to ASTM D 4236", is required as evidence that the guidelines of the standard were followed in the labeling of the product. The evaluation is to be conducted by a board-certified toxicologist, and the product must be reevaluated periodically, at least every five years. Another piece of information to be found on the label, as directed by the standard, is a source for additional information. This can take the form of a toll free phone number that is reachable 24 hours per day, or directions to contact a poison control center network. Under the Labeling of Hazardous Art Materials Act, it became a requirement for chronically hazardous products to carry the phone number of a person responsible for placing the product on the market. CPSC also enforces the Federal Hazardous Substances Act (FHSA), of which the LHAMA became a part and which regulates all consumer products for acute hazards.The CL or Cautionary Label -- Not Recommended for Use with ChildrenProducts bearing the CL Cautionary Label Seal have health warnings associated with them and are not recommended for use around young children. These products should be used with caution and only by older children and adults.Under US law, hazard-labeled products (CL Seal and warnings) may not be purchased for use by children grades pre-K through 6. These products are labeled "Keep Out of Reach of Children" and should not be used by young children, even with adult supervision, in schools. ACMI requires that all products meant for children's use and certified in its program be non-toxic. Only 15% of the adult materials ACMI has analyzed has been found to require hazard labeling.Also see ASTM International (American Society for Testing and Materials), hazardous, Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS), Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), poison, safety, science and art, seal, and Youth Art Month (YAM).