flammability07-779

Tuesday,February27,2007PartIIConsumerProductSafetyCommission16CFRPart1610StandardfortheFlammabilityofClothingTextiles;ProposedRuleVerDateAug31200517:27Feb26,2007Jkt211001PO00000Frm00001Fmt4717Sfmt4717E:\FR\FM\27FEP2.SGM27FEP2pwalkeronPROD1PC71withPROPOSALS28844FederalRegister/Vol.72,No.38/Tuesday,February27,2007/ProposedRulesCONSUMERPRODUCTSAFETYCOMMISSION16CFRPart1610StandardfortheFlammabilityofClothingTextiles;NoticeofProposedRulemakingAGENCY:ConsumerProductSafetyCommission.ACTION:Noticeofproposedrulemaking.SUMMARY:TheCommissionisproposingtoamenditsflammabilitystandardofgeneralwearingapparel,theStandardfortheFlammabilityofClothingTextiles,16CFRpart1610.TheStandard,originallyissuedin1953,hasbecomeoutdatedinseveralrespects.TheCommissionisproposingchangestobetterreflectcurrentconsumerpracticesandtechnologiesandtoclarifyseveralaspectsoftheStandard.DATES:WrittencommentsmustbereceivedbyMay14,2007.RequeststomakeanoralpresentationmustbereceivedbyApril13,2007.ADDRESSES:[e-mail]telefacsimileto(301)504–0127,ortheymaybemailedordelivered,preferablyinfivecopies,totheOfficeoftheSecretary,ConsumerProductSafetyCommission,Room502,4330EastWestHighway,Bethesda,Maryland20814–4408;telephone[phone].Commentsshouldbecaptioned‘‘ClothingNPR.’’Thepublicmayalsorequestanopportunitytopresentcommentsorally.SuchrequestsshouldbesubmittedtotheOfficeoftheSecretarybye-mail,mail,faxorinpersonattheaddressesorphonenumberslistedabove.FORFURTHERINFORMATIONCONTACT:PatriciaK.Adair,DirectorateforEngineeringSciences,ConsumerProductSafetyCommission,4330EastWestHighway,Bethesda,Maryland20814–4408;telephone[phone].SUPPLEMENTARYINFORMATION:A.Background1.HistoryoftheStandardItexcludesfootwear,interliningfabrics,andsomehatsandgloves.Thestandardprovidesatesttodeterminewhethersuchclothingandfabricsexhibit‘‘rapidandintenseburning,’’andarethereforehighlyflammable.In1953,CongressenactedtheFlammableFabricsActof1953(‘‘FFA’’),(Pub.L.83–88,67Stat.111).Asenactedin1953andamendedin1954,theFFAprohibitedtheimportation,manufactureforsale,orthesaleincommerceofanyarticleofwearingapparel,whichis‘‘sohighlyflammableastobedangerouswhenwornbyindividuals.’’TheFFAof1953specifiedthatatest,firstpublishedbytheDepartmentofCommerceasavoluntarycommercialstandard,thencalled‘‘FlammabilityofClothingTextiles,CommercialStandard(‘‘CS’’)191–53,’’shallbeusedtodetermineiffabricorclothingis‘‘sohighlyflammableastobedangerouswhenwornbyindividuals.’’In1967,CongressamendedtheFFA,expandingitscoverageandauthorizingtheSecretaryofCommercetoissueflammabilitystandardsthroughrulemaking.Asavingsclausekepttheflammabilitystandardforclothingtextilesthatthe1953ActhadmandatedineffectuntilsupersededormodifiedbytheSecretaryofCommercethroughtheproceduresspecifiedinthe1967amendment.Seesection11ofPub.L.90–189,81Stat.568,December14,1967.In1972,CongressestablishedtheConsumerProductSafetyCommissionwhenitenactedtheConsumerProductSafetyAct(‘‘CPSA’’),15U.S.C.2051etseq.TheCPSAtransferredtotheCommissiontheauthoritytheSecretaryofCommercehadtoissueandamendflammabilitystandardsundertheFFA.15U.S.C.2079(b).In1975,theCommissionpublishedtheFFAof1953at16CFR1609andcodifiedtheStandardfortheFlammabilityofClothingTextilesat16CFRpart1610.2.TheCurrentStandardMostfabricsarecombustible.Somecombustiblefabrics,whenusedforclothingarepotentiallydangeroustothewearerbecauseofthespeedandintensityofflamewithwhichthosefabricsburnandtheireaseofignitionandbecauseofthedesignofthegarment.TheStandardsetsoutamethodformeasuringburntime,whichisafunctionofeaseofignitionandflamespreadrate.TheCommissionisnotproposingtochangetheessentialaspectsoftheStandard,butrathertoupdateandclarifyit.TheStandarddescribesatestapparatusandtheproceduresfortestingclothingandtextilesintendedtobeusedforclothing.Itestablishesthreeclassesofflammability.Theclassesarebasedonmeasurementofburntime,alongwithvisualobservationsofflameintensity.Theclassesare:Class1ornormalflammability;Class2orintermediateflammability;andClass3orrapidandintenseburning.ClothingandtextilesthatarecategorizedasClass3undertheprescribedtestmethodareconsidereddangerouslyflammable.16CFR1610.3.Todeterminetheappropriateclassification,theStandardprescribesthemethodoftesting.Fivespecimensaresubjectedtoaflammabilitytester.Thisisadraft-proofventilatedchambercontaininganignitionmedium,asamplerackandanautomatictimingdevice.Id.1610.4(b).Theignitionmediumisamotordrivengasjetarounda26-gagehypodermicneedle.Id.1610.4(b)(6).AswatchofeachsamplemustbesubjectedtothedrycleaningandhandwashingprocedureprescribedbytheStandard.Id.1610.4(d)&(e).Todetermineresults,theaveragetimeofflamespreadistakenforfivespecimens.However,ifthetimeofflamespreadislessthan4seconds(31⁄2secondsforplain-surfacedfabrics),fiveadditionalspecimensmustbetestedandtheaveragetimeofflamespreadforthesetenspecimens,orforasmanyofthemasburn,mustbetaken.Id.1610.4(g)(7).Classificationisbasedonthereportedresultsbeforeandafterdrycleaningandwashing,whicheverislower.Id.1610.4(g)(8).3.TheProductsT