U.S. child-resistant packaging requirements exist to help protect children from accidental access to potentially hazardous products. Federal law establishes the packaging performance standards that manufacturers must meet before going to market. At Perritt Laboratories, we provide child-resistant package testing services that meet these requirements.
The Poison Prevention Packaging Act (PPPA) of 1970 established the legal foundation for child-resistant packaging requirements in the United States. Administered by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and codified at 16 CFR Part 1700, the PPPA requires that products posing a meaningful risk of poisoning meet defined standards before they reach the market.
In 1995, the PPPA was amended to require senior-resecuring effectiveness testing for reclosable child-resistant packages so that compliant packaging remains accessible to older adults while resisting unintended access by children. The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) of 2008 further strengthened the PPPA, updating definitions and authority language to align the statute with contemporary product safety law.
Products subject to PPPA package testing include:
Perritt Laboratories offers PPPA child-resistant package testing services to help health and beauty, pharmaceutical, consumer product, and household chemical manufacturers meet CPSC requirements and help protect families.
The Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) of 1972, administered by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and codified at 40 CFR Part 162, establishes child-resistant packaging requirements for pesticides, rodenticides, herbicides, fungicides, and pool chemicals. FIFRA testing protocols require child-resistant effectiveness testing, senior-use effectiveness testing, and adult-use effectiveness testing.
Perritt Laboratories conducts FIFRA package testing for manufacturers to produce validated test records that satisfy EPA registration and compliance requirements.
PPPA and FIFRA mandate human panel testing as the basis of compliance. CPSC protocol testing under 16 CFR Part 1700 requires child-resistant effectiveness testing, senior-use effectiveness testing, and, for reclosable packages, senior-resecuring effectiveness testing. To meet child-resistant effectiveness requirements, the package must be inaccessible to 85% of children between 42 and 51 months of age without a demonstration and 80% of children after a demonstration. Senior adults must achieve prescribed pass rates before a package qualifies as compliant.
Perritt Laboratories adheres to this protocol in child-resistant package testing, producing defensible data that manufacturers can use for regulatory submissions and product launch decisions.
As a contract testing laboratory accepted by the CPSC, Perritt Laboratories provides credible, independent evidence generated in compliance with U.S. child-resistant packaging requirements. We also hold FDA registration and A2LA accreditation to ISO/IEC 17025. Our test documentation provides a record to support regulatory submissions and ongoing product reviews.
We contributed to the development of the original testing protocols established under the PPPA, the same protocols that govern CPSC compliance today. This foundational knowledge informs the tests we perform and the client relationships we build.
Our partnership also offers:
Whether you are launching a new product, updating existing packaging, or responding to a regulatory inquiry, Perritt Laboratories can support your business with child-resistant package testing. Contact us online to speak directly with an expert about your testing needs.
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