The bill aims to enhance consumer safety regarding aluminum and brass cookware by establishing stricter regulations on lead content. It amends existing laws to define aluminum and brass cookware, utensils, and components, specifying that cookware with an internal layer of aluminum or brass must have a stainless steel food contact surface that is metallurgically bonded. Additionally, it introduces new exemptions for certain appliances and cookware with trace amounts of lead that do not exceed safety levels set by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. The bill also outlines acceptable cookware testing methods and clarifies the definitions of manufacturers and vulnerable populations.

Furthermore, the bill sets forth new lead content limits for aluminum and brass cookware, utensils, and components, prohibiting levels exceeding 90 parts per million starting January 1, 2026, and 10 parts per million by January 1, 2030, unless compliant with specified testing methods. Retailers and wholesalers are protected from liability for unknowingly selling non-compliant products, and previously owned items sold casually or by nonprofits are exempt from these regulations. The Department of Ecology is empowered to adjust the lead limits after December 2030 based on feasibility and health considerations.

Statutes affected:
Original bill: 70A.565.010, 70A.02.010