Clay Toxicity for Children? Do I need a toxicology report?

[Michaela C]

I'm going to sell some take home ceramic boxes and found out that all art materials for children need a toxicology report in order to be legal. I buy dry materials and mix my own recipe, does anyone know if the toxicology of the materials is enough or if I need to get a new report on the clay body that I am using?

Thanks for any input!

[liambesaw]

@Michaela C I'm just going to copy and paste this disclaimer from a clay supplier, it should explain what is required.  So I would assume you'd need an AP certification since it needs to be evaluated 

AP: "Products bearing the AP Approved Product Seal of The Art and Craft Materials Institute, Inc. are certified in a program of toxicological evaluation by a medical expert to contain no materials in sufficient quantities to be toxic or injurious to humans. This program is reviewed by the Institute's Toxicological Advisory Board. These products are certified by the Institute to be labeld in accordance with voluntary chronic hazard labeling standard ASTM D-4236. In addition, there is not physical hazard as defined with 29 CFR Part 1910.1200 (c)."

[neilestrick]

All art materials should be certified under the national code ASTM D-3246. The Art and Craft Materials Institute is just one company that facilitates the testing and labeling of art materials, and the AP label is one of their labels. But any company selling art materials can get their products tested at any of the certified labs in the country and label them accordingly. They do not have to go through ACMI. Products could be labeled as Non-Toxic, meaning safe for all ages, or labeled only for use by ages 13 and up, or labeled for use only by adults. It all depends on what's in the products and what percentage of each ingredient. The label only applies to the condition in which it's sold, meaning if you buy moist clay, that safety label no longer applies if the clay dries out or is fired. So if you're mixing your own clay bodies, the safety labels on the individual dry ingredients will no longer apply to the moist clay body. No dry ingredients are non-toxic if they contain silica (all clays, feldspars, frits, etc). Also, just sending your clay body off to a lab to test for toxicology doesn't necessarily cut it. It has to be tested by a lab that is certified to test under the national codes. It is a very expensive process, and takes a long time. You'll have to send a sample of the clay body, and often they'll request additional samples of individual ingredients be sent to them or other labs for further testing. Any time you change an ingredient or change the percentages of the materials, it will need to be re-tested.

Edit: Toxicity labeling has nothing to do with food safety. As I said, the toxicity label only applies to the condition in which the item is sold. Once clay and glazes are changed, wither through drying or wetting or firing, the label no longer applies. For instance, dry glazes will never be non-toxic because of silica dust. But once you add water to them, silica dust is no longer an issue, however other ingredients may still pose toxicity problems. Glazes can be non-toxic and not safe for food use, or vice-versa.

Your best bet is to buy a premixed clay body and glazes and use those in your kits. The work is done, and you won't be opening yourself up to liability.