Connecticut General Statutes
Chapter 420d - State Child Protection Act
Section 21a-337. (Formerly Sec. 19-560). - Prohibited acts. Exceptions.

(a) The following acts and the causing thereof are prohibited: (1) The introduction or delivery for introduction into commerce of any misbranded hazardous substance or banned hazardous substance; (2) the manufacturing, distributing, selling at wholesale or retail, contracting to sell or resell, lease, sublet or otherwise place in the stream of commerce: (A) Any children's product that has been designated a banned hazardous substance under this chapter or the federal Hazardous Substances Act; (B) any children's product, except for an article described in 21 USC 321(g), as amended from time to time; that is the subject of voluntary or mandatory corrective action taken under the direction of or in cooperation with an agency of the federal government but the defect in such children's product has not been so corrected; or (C) any children's product that is not otherwise in conformity with applicable consumer safety product standards under this chapter, or any similar rule under another chapter of the general statutes or any federal laws or regulations; (3) the alteration, mutilation, destruction, obliteration or removal of the whole or any part of the label of, or the doing of any other act with respect to, a hazardous substance if such act is done while the substance is in commerce, or while the substance is held for sale, whether or not the first sale, after shipment in commerce, and results in the hazardous substance being a misbranded hazardous substance or a banned hazardous substance; (4) the receipt in commerce of any misbranded hazardous substance or banned hazardous substance and the delivery or proffered delivery thereof for pay or otherwise; (5) the giving of a guarantee or undertaking referred to in subdivision (2) of subsection (b) of section 21a-338 which guarantee or undertaking is false, except by a person who relied upon a guarantee or undertaking to the same effect signed by, and containing the name and address of, the person residing in the United States from whom he received in good faith the hazardous substance; (6) the failure to permit entry or inspection as authorized by subsection (a) of section 21a-343 or to permit access to and copying of any record as authorized by section 21a-344; (7) the introduction or delivery for introduction into commerce, or the receipt in commerce and subsequent delivery or proffered delivery for pay or otherwise, of a hazardous substance in a reused food, drug or cosmetic container or in a container which, though not a reused container, is identifiable as a food, drug or cosmetic container by its labeling or by other identification. The reuse of a food, drug or cosmetic container as a container for a hazardous substance shall be deemed to be an act which results in the hazardous substance being a misbranded hazardous substance. As used in this subdivision, “food”, “drug” and “cosmetic” have the same meanings as in the Connecticut Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act; (8) the use by any person to his own advantage, or revealing other than to the administrator or officers or employees of the agency, or to the courts when relevant in any judicial proceeding under sections 21a-335 to 21a-346, inclusive, of any information acquired under authority of section 21a-343 concerning any method of process which as a trade secret is entitled to protection; (9) the introduction or delivery for introduction into commerce of any item containing asbestos which reasonably may be expected to be used in the construction or repair of structures, without clearly indicating by labeling thereon that the item contains asbestos and that asbestos may cause cancer when inhaled, or the introduction or delivery for introduction into commerce of any toy or other article for sale in this state marketed for the use of children under the age of sixteen containing asbestos; (10) the alteration or removal of any item upon which the commissioner or his authorized agent has placed an embargo prior to the time the commissioner, such agent or a court permits the alteration or removal of such item; (11) the introduction or delivery for introduction into commerce, after December 31, 1992, of any toy or other article for sale in this state and marketed for the use of children between the ages of three and seven, or determined to be for the use of children between the ages of three and seven by the federal Consumer Product Safety Commission pursuant to 16 CFR Part 1500 et seq., as published in the Code of Federal Regulations Revised to January 1, 1991, and as from time to time amended, or the Commissioner of Consumer Protection pursuant to sections 21a-335 to 21a-346, inclusive, which would be classified as a banned hazardous substance under 16 CFR Part 1501.4(b)(1) of said code and does not bear a conspicuous warning label that clearly and specifically communicates that the contents include small parts which pose a hazard for children under the age of three, except that any toy or other article that contains, as of December 31, 1992, a safety warning label in substantial compliance with the requirements of this subdivision shall be determined by the commissioner to be in compliance with this subdivision until October 1, 1993. As used in this subdivision, “conspicuous” has the same meaning and characteristics regarding type size as in 16 CFR Part 1500.121(c)(2) of said code; and (12) the introduction or delivery for introduction into commerce, or the distribution or sale, of a drying oil or drying oil product, manufactured after December 31, 1994, which does not bear a conspicuous warning label on a side or back panel of such product stating: “DANGER - RAGS, STEEL WOOL OR WASTE SOAKED WITH .... (INSERT PRODUCT NAME) MAY SPONTANEOUSLY CATCH FIRE IF IMPROPERLY DISCARDED. IMMEDIATELY AFTER USE, PLACE RAGS, STEEL WOOL OR WASTE IN A SEALED WATER-FILLED METAL CONTAINER.” As used in this subdivision, “conspicuous” has the same meaning and characteristics regarding type size as in 16 CFR Part 1500.121(c)(2) of said code.

(b) A children's product shall not be a banned hazardous substance, as defined in subsection (p) of section 21a-335, solely on the basis of containing a component that exceeds the standards pursuant to subparagraph (B) of said subsection (p) if such component is not accessible to a child because it is not physically exposed by reason of a covering or casing and if it will not become physically exposed through normal and reasonably foreseeable use and abuse of the product. For purposes of this subsection, paint, coatings or electroplating shall not be considered barriers that would render lead in the substrate inaccessible to a child through normal and reasonably foreseeable use and abuse of the product.
(c) Within available appropriations, if the administrator determines that it is not feasible for certain children's products that are electronic devices, including batteries, to meet the standards pursuant to subparagraph (B) of subsection (p) of section 21a-335 by July 1, 2009, the administrator shall adopt regulations, in accordance with chapter 54, to (1) set standards to reduce the exposure of and accessibility to lead in such devices, and (2) establish a schedule by which such electronic devices shall be in full compliance with the standards established in said subparagraph (B). Such devices shall not be considered banned hazardous substances pursuant to said subsection (p) if they comply with the provisions of such regulations.
(1971, P.A. 121, S. 3; P.A. 80-398, S. 1; P.A. 85-242, S. 1; P.A. 92-127, S. 1; May Sp. Sess. P.A. 92-11, S. 57, 70; P.A. 93-55, S. 5; P.A. 94-73, S. 2; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6, S. 146(c); P.A. 04-189, S. 1; P.A. 08-106, S. 2; 08-122, S. 1; P.A. 14-122, S. 127.)
History: P.A. 80-398 added Subdiv. (8) re prohibition regarding asbestos; Sec. 19-560 transferred to Sec. 21a-337 in 1983; P.A. 85-242 added Subdiv. (9) prohibiting the alteration or removal of any item upon which the commissioner or his agent has placed an embargo prior to the time such commissioner or agent permits such alteration or removal; P.A. 92-127 amended section by adding Subdiv. (10) which added to the list of prohibited acts “the introduction or delivery for introduction into commerce of any toy or other article for sale in this state and marketed for the use of children between the ages of three and seven ...” which did not bear “the following conspicuous label: WARNING-SMALL PARTS POSE CHOKE HAZARD FOR CHILDREN UNDER THE AGE OF THREE”; May Sp. Sess. P.A. 92-11 specified that the provisions of the new Subdiv. (10) would not apply until after December 31, 1992, and deleted the requirement for the specifically-worded warning label and substituted general warning language, and excepted, until October 1, 1993, any toy or other article which, as of December 31, 1992, bore a safety warning label which was substantially in compliance with the requirements of the Subdiv.; P.A. 93-55 substituted references to the Code of Federal Regulations for references to the Federal Register; P.A. 94-73 added Subsec. (11) re labeling of drying oil or drying oil product; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6 replaced Commissioner of Consumer Protection with Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Protection, effective July 1, 2004; P.A. 04-189 repealed Sec. 146 of June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6, thereby reversing the merger of the Departments of Agriculture and Consumer Protection, effective June 1, 2004; P.A. 08-106 designated existing provisions as Subsec. (a) and amended same to add new Subdiv. (2) re children's products, redesignate existing Subdivs. (2) to (11) as Subdivs. (3) to (12) and add provision in redesignated Subdiv. (9) re asbestos, and added Subsecs. (b) and (c) re exceptions to requirements of Sec. 21a-335(p); P.A. 08-122 amended Subsec. (a)(2)(B) by adding provision re 21 USC 321(g) exception and amended Subsec. (c) by adding “within available appropriations”; P.A. 14-122 made technical changes in Subsec. (a)(7).

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