From 19 Dec 2022, Canada amending the Surface Coating Materials Regulations and other regulations under the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act to address requirements for applied coating materials. The Surface Coating Material Regulations restrict lead and mercury content in surface coating materials while other regulations restrict additional certain other harmful heavy metal elements in applied surface coating materials. In particular, the migration test method for certain other harmful heavy metal elements has been removed.

The Regulation allows parties to select from the common test methods in the industry for adoption for migration of certain elements. The updates to Surface Coating Material Regulations are summarized as below:

• Definition of “surface coating materials” is amended. The term “dries to a solid film” is changed to “forms a solid film”. The solid film means the one can be removed from the surface
• New definition of “accessible part” is added. Only the accessible parts are within the scope. This is defined as “any parts that may be touched, licked, mouthed or swallowed during the reasonably foreseeable use of the products”
• Furniture has been newly added to the product list for applied coating material; not just limited to children’s furniture
• Defined “coating materials” to include stickers, films or other similar coating materials such as powder coatings that are applied electrostatically