SG 045/25
The US state of New York has introduced a proposed law to regulate lead in consumer goods, unless they are labeled. This act will take effect 180 days after its enactment.
On March 5, 2025, New York state introduced AB 6500, the ‘Lead-Containing Products’ act. This proposed law would add Title 12 to Article 37 of the state’s Environmental Conservation Law. While lead is already restricted in children’s products, furniture and raw paint at the federal level, the bill seeks to regulate the heavy metal in all consumer products in the state of New York.
The law defines a consumer product as, “any tangible good sold or manufactured in the state which is movable at the time it is conveyed by the seller to another party. Consumer products shall include components of products.”
Highlights of AB 6500 are summarized in table 1.
| Substance | Scope | Requirement | Proposed effective date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lead | Consumer products1 | ≤ 90 ppm, otherwise warning label | 180 days after the law’s enactment2 |
| 1Products in which lead is necessary to produce an essential characteristic of the product and for which no alternative is available are exempt 2Applicable to consumer products produced after the effective date | |||
Furthermore, the bill states that any person who has purchased a product in violation of the proposed law would have a private right of action against any person or entity within the supply chain of the product, other than the retailer.
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