Bill > HB1756

This bill updates Washington state's regulations on lead content in cookware by expanding and clarifying definitions and establishing strict limits on lead levels. The bill defines "cookware" to include metal pots, pans, bakeware, rice cookers, pressure cookers, and utensils, while explicitly excluding large appliances like refrigerators and ranges that do not have metal surfaces directly contacting food. Starting January 1, 2026, manufacturers, retailers, and wholesalers are prohibited from selling cookware or cookware components containing lead or lead compounds at levels exceeding five parts per million. The legislation provides some exemptions, such as for second-hand or nonprofit sales, and allows the state Department of Ecology, in consultation with the Department of Health, to potentially lower the lead limit after December 2034 if such a reduction is both technologically feasible for manufacturers and necessary to protect human health, especially for vulnerable populations. The bill also introduces new definitions like "inaccessible components" to provide clarity about which parts of cookware are covered by these regulations.

Agriculture and Natural Resources

https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?BillNumber=1756&Year=2025&Initiative=false