The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has passed a final ruling on lead wicks and candles containing lead.  The CPSC has declared that metal cored wicks containing more than .06 percent lead by weight in the metal and candles with such wicks are hazardous substances and has banned such wicks and candles with such wicks.  The Commission has issued the final rule under authority of the Federal Hazardous Substances Act (FHSA).  This rule becomes effective on October 15, 2003.

The CPSC staff recommended that a lead core wick be defined as a wick containing a metal core with greater than .06% lead by weight in the metal.  This recommendation allows the use of zinc core wicks due to the fact that they only have a lead content of .004%.

Complaince is very simple.  If you are a user of zinc core wicks, you will need to certify your shipments to your customers/retailers by applying a label to the shipment cartons that states:

Please remember that the final rule becomes effective on October 15, 2003 and any shipments from that time forward will need to have the label on the shipping cartons.  For more detailed information we have provided a link below to the article on the EPA website: 
http://www.epa.gov/fedrgstr/EPA-IMPACT/2003/April/Day-18/i9255.htm

We view this as a positive thing for the candlemaking industry.  Instead of being afraid of metal core wicks, this label will assure your customers that the wicks in your candles are perfectly safe!