SERVICES

Consumer Product Health-Based Services

consumer product safetyWith expertise in exposure assessment, product labeling, product health communications, risk assessment, and regulatory compliance, COEH can help you develop and implement an effective program.

Services

COEH provides the following health-based services for the consumer products industry.

Risk Assessments for Consumer Products. Using available quantitative and qualitative information, COEH will provide product health risk assessments. We excel at determining the health risks associated with products made using specialty chemicals, as well as emerging technologies (e.g. nanotechnologies). Our reports include practical recommendations for risk mitigation and regulatory compliance.

Foreign Plant Audits & Quality Control Reviews. Manufacturing operations outside of the United States provide additional challenges with respect to consumer product health risks. COEH will arrange foreign plant audits and conduct quality control reviews to ensure that the imported products meet all applicable regulatory requirements.

Customer Complaint Evaluations. COEH scientists will review customer complaint data, develop a concise narrative of common health complaints, and provide recommendations for mitigation measures. As a value added service, COEH will provide product-related health training for customer service personnel who interact with consumers.

Label & Marketing Material Review. COEH will ensure that product labels and marketing materials adequately communicate health concerns to consumers and that product efficacy claims be substantiated by reliable scientific data.

Experience

Over the past 20-years, COEH has been retained to assist with litigation matters involving health complaints relating to alleged exposures to chemicals in consumer products, regulatory compliance issues, and risk mitigation strategies for an array of consumer products, including textiles, bedding, and lead in toys. Recently, COEH made a presentation in Washington, DC on aspects of the Consumer Products Safety Improvement Act and potential impacts on juvenile products and toys.

Case Study 1

COEH provided professional consumer product consulting services to a manufacturer of  infant car seats.  Some infants reportedly developed dermatitis consistent with the car seat contacting infants’ bare arms, legs and torso. COEH initiated a comprehensive review and analysis of all reported complaints. Next we inventoried chemicals in the product (textile, textile treatments, fire retardants, dyes) and carefully reviewed the manufacturing process. COEH performed a toxicology review on all identified compounds, including an assessment of whether any of the identified chemicals have well known potential for causing skin reactions and at what concentrations. COEH identified two possible compound groups responsible for the dermatitis and provided recommendations with respect to potential product testing to be performed both retrospectively and prospectively to better ensure safe products.

Case Study 2

COEH performed numerous quantitative risk assessments for consumer products in response to California Proposition 65 requirements for compounds that may pose reproductive or carcinogenic risk to consumers.  If the quantitative risk assessment results are favorable, the manufacturer does not need to place a Prop 65 label on their product prior to sale in California. COEH performed quantitative risk assessments for a mattress manufacturer to address inhalation (outgassing from mattress) and dermal contact with compounds on the California Prop 65 list.  The risk assessments were performed in a manner consistent with California’s Proposition 65, Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) guidance.  Fortunately, the quantitative risk assessment supported an exemption from Proposition 65 labeling for our client.
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