Volume 11, Number 3, Sept 1989, pp.6-7

Zora's Column

On June 22nd a meeting was scheduled at the offices of the CPSC (Consumer Product Safety Commission) to discuss the Federal Art Materials labeling law due to go into effect on November 18, 1990. At that meeting dates were to be set for public hearings. However, the CPSC does not have a full complement of commissioners and cannot function completely nor issue any guidelines until they do. Information at the date of this writing is that they are "working on the guidelines", due out in November of 1989. However it will be impossible to release them until they have a third commissioner in place.

If you have a medical emergency related to the use of artist's materials, the poison control center specifically named to be the disseminator of this information by the state of California is POISONDEX.

Under ASTM D-4236, the chronic health hazard labeling standard which will become part of the Federal law in about a year, manufacturers must give generic formulation information necessary to supply regional poison control centers to a poison exposure management information source, or provide them with a 24 hour cost-free phone number. Inquiries for further information about POISONDEX may be addressed to Micro Medix, 660 Bannock Street, Denver, CO 80204-4506.

Generally local phone books provide phone numbers for Poison Control Centers in your immediate area, that have access to the POISONDEX information. If you have any difficulties, POISONDEX's direct phone number in Denver is 303-893-7774.

California WAAC members who may be "food buffs", may be aware that the California State Department of Health has taken the lead in the avant-garde of states regulatory bodies with their approach toward threats to the health of their constituents. Recently however, the state of Washington's Noxious Weed Control Board, threatened California's position by citing Arugula as a Class A noxious weed. That meant that all existing plants would have been slated for eradication, and cultivation of the plant would have been illegal. For those of you who are Arugula minded, and live in Washington, it will be reassuring to know that it has been reclassified as Class B and you may now re-join we Californians in planting and consuming it with impunity (non-edible).