Child-resistant packaging explained

Child-resistant packaging or CR packaging is special packaging used to reduce the risk of children ingesting hazardous materials. This is often accomplished by the use of a special safety cap. It is required by regulation for prescription drugs, over-the-counter medications, Nicotine Containing Electronic Cigarette devices or Refill containers that can contain Nicotine EUTPD 36.7[1] [2] [3] pesticides, and household chemicals.[4] In some jurisdictions, unit packaging such as blister packs is also regulated for child safety.[5]

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has stated in a press release that "There is no such thing as child-proof packaging. So you shouldn't think of packaging as your primary line of defense. Rather, you should think of packaging, even child-resistant packaging, as your last line of defense."[6]

Background

The child-resistant locking closure for containers was invented in 1967 by Dr. Henri Breault.[7]

A history of accidents involving children opening household packaging and ingesting the contents led the United States Congress to pass the Poison Prevention Packaging Act of 1970, authored by U.S. Senator Frank E. Moss of Utah. This gave the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission[8] [9] the authority to regulate this area. Additions throughout the decades have increased the initial coverage to include other hazardous items, including chemicals regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency. Although child-resistant lids are not perfect, there is strong evidence that use of child-resistant lids has reduced child poisoning rates in the UnitedStates substantially.[10] Coordination exists for improving international standards on requirements and protocols.

Difficulty opening

Child-resistant packaging can be a problem for some aged individuals or people with disabilities.[11] [12] [13] Regulations require designs to be tested to verify that most adults can access the package.[14] Some jurisdictions allow pharmacists to provide medications in non-CR packages when there are no children in the same house.

Requirements

The regulations are based on protocols of performance tests of packages with actual children, to determine if the packages can be opened. More recently, additional package testing is used to determine if aged individuals or people with disabilities have the ability to open the same packages.[15] [16]

Often the CR requirements are met by package closures which require two dissimilar motions for opening. Hundreds of package designs are available for packagers to consider.

Standards

See also

General and cited references

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: The Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016. www.legislation.gov.uk. 2017-03-30. 2017-03-31. https://web.archive.org/web/20170331060645/http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2016/507/regulation/36/made. live.
  2. Book: Sanbar, Shafeek S.. Legal medicine. 6 November 2010. 2007. Elsevier Health Sciences. 978-0-323-03753-2. 393. 31 March 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170331041014/https://books.google.com/books?id=3tJEEZnkXmYC&pg=PA393&lpg=PA393&dq=%22safety+cap%22medicine. live.
  3. Book: Winter, Harold. Trade-offs: an introduction to economic reasoning and social issues. 6 November 2010. 2005-05-01. University of Chicago Press. 978-0-226-90225-8. 98. 2017-03-31. https://web.archive.org/web/20170331041006/https://books.google.com/books?id=VE7-ITbQSk8C&pg=PA98&dq=%22safety+cap%22medicine. live.
  4. Web site: Gaunt . Michael J. . Child-resistant does not mean Childproof . Pharmacy Times . May 2007 . 3 March 2009 .
  5. Web site: Smith . G . Barone, S . PPPA, Unit Packaging . CPSC . 16 March 2005 . 25 March 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100722195629/http://www.cpsc.gov/businfo/pppa/pppa10.pdf . 22 July 2010 . dead .
  6. New National Emergency Hotline Assessed; CPSC Joins in Launching Poison Prevention Week to Stop 30 Deaths Each Year . CPSC . 26 March 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20081212003244/http://www.cpsc.gov/trans/ppw02.html. 12 December 2008. dead.
  7. Web site: Dr. Henri Breault. Canadian Medical Hall of Fame. 28 February 2012. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20120307180213/http://www.cdnmedhall.org/dr-henri-j-breault. 7 March 2012.
  8. Web site: CPSC . Poison Prevention Packaging Information . U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission . February 9, 2007 . 19 December 2008 . https://web.archive.org/web/20081219131131/http://www.cpsc.gov/businfo/pppainfo.html . 19 December 2008 . dead .
  9. Book: Viscusi, W. Kip. Fatal tradeoffs: public and private responsibilities for risk. 6 November 2010. 1995. Oxford University Press US. 978-0-19-510293-2. 235.
  10. Schwebel . D C . Unintentional child poisoning risk: A review of causal factors and prevention studies . Children's Health Care . 2017 . 109–130 . 46 . 2 . October 21, 2018 . 10.1080/02739615.2015.1124775 . 73912457 . October 21, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20181021232253/http://people.uncw.edu/nguyens/files/schwebel%20et%20al%202017.pdf . live.
  11. Web site: de la Fuente. Javier. The use of a universal design methodology for developing child-resistant drug packaging. Master's Thesis. Michigan State University. 2013-10-16. 2020-10-09. https://web.archive.org/web/20201009145144/https://www.researchgate.net/publication/220012972_The_Use_of_a_Universal_Design_Methodology_for_Developing_Child-resistant_Drug_Packaging. live.
  12. Web site: de la Fuente. Javier. Perceptions and attitudes of people with disabilities and older adults about child-resistant drug packaging. Journal for Patient Compliance. 2013-10-16. Bix, Laura. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20131017001116/http://www.patientcompliancemedia.com/jpc/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Pages-from-JPC-Volume2-Issue2-21.pdf. 2013-10-17.
  13. Book: de la Fuente . Javier . Bix . Laura . 2010 . User-pack Interaction: Insights for Designing Inclusive Child-resistant Packaging . Langdon . P. . Clarkson . P. . Robinson . P. . Designing Inclusive Interactions . 89–100 . 10.1007/978-1-84996-166-0_9 . 978-1-84996-165-3.
  14. Web site: CPSC . Testing procedure for special packaging . U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission . 21 August 2015.
  15. Web site: CPSC . Poison Prevention Packaging . US Consumer Product Safety Commission . 21 August 2015 . 5 September 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150905192704/http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?c=ecfr&tpl=%2Fecfrbrowse%2FTitle16%2F16cfr1700_main_02.tpl . live .
  16. Bix, Laura . de la Fuente, Javier . Pimple, Kenneth D. . Kou, Eric . Is the test of senior friendly/child resistant packaging ethical? . Health Expectations . 12 . 2 . 430–437 . 10.1111/j.1369-7625.2009.00534.x . 2009 . 5060504 . 19650857 .

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