(a) The test methods for determining compliance with this article shall be conducted using the EPA reference methods 3050B, 3051A, or 3052, as specified in EPA Test Methods for Evaluating Solid Waste, Physical/Chemical Methods, SW-846 (Third Edition, or subsequent update, as applicable) for lead and cadmium in the material being tested, except as otherwise provided in subdivision (b) and Sections 24214.4.1 and 25214.4.2, and shall be conducted in accordance with all of the following procedures:

(1) When preparing a sample, the laboratory shall make every effort to ensure that the sample removed from a jewelry piece is representative of the component to be tested, and is free of contamination from extraneous dirt and material not related to the jewelry component to be tested.

(2) All jewelry component samples shall be washed prior to testing using standard laboratory detergent, rinsed with laboratory reagent grade deionized water, and dried in a clean ambient environment.

(3) If a component is required to be cut or scraped to obtain a sample, the metal snips, scissors, or other cutting tools used for the cutting or scraping shall be made of stainless steel and washed and rinsed before each use and between samples.

(4) A sample shall be digested in a container that is known to be free of lead and cadmium and with the use of an acid that is not contaminated by lead or cadmium, including analytical reagent grade digestion acids and reagent grade deionized water.

(5) Method blanks, consisting of all reagents used in sample preparation handled, digested, and made to volume in the same exact manner and in the same container type as samples, shall be tested with each group of 20 or fewer samples tested.

(6) The results for the method blanks shall be reported with each group of sample results, and shall be below the stated reporting limit for sample results to be considered valid.

(7) Test methods selected shall be those that best demonstrate they can achieve total digestion of the sample material being analyzed. Test methods shall not be used if they are inconsistent with the specified application of the test method or do not demonstrate the best performance or proficiency for achieving total digestion of the sample material.

(b) Notwithstanding subdivision (a) and Section 25214.4.1, test methods for determining compliance with the limits for lead in children’s jewelry in subdivision (c) of Section 25214.2 include those permissible to demonstrate compliance with the federal Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (Public Law 110-314). The test method for determining compliance with subparagraph (B) of paragraph (1) of subdivision (d) of Section 25214.2 shall be the same test method used to demonstrate compliance with Section 2056b of Title 15 of the United States Code.

(c) Digested samples shall be analyzed according to the specification of an approved and validated methodology using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy. Other analytical methods, such as inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, flame atomic absorption spectroscopy, graphite furnace atomic absorption spectroscopy, or other technology, may be used under appropriate conditions, using applicable, recognized analytical techniques for the alternative method to achieve a reported quantitation limit no greater than 0.001 percent (10 parts per million) for samples.

(d) All testing for determining compliance with this article shall be performed by a laboratory that conforms to the requirements in Article 8.5 (commencing with Section 25198).

(Amended by Stats. 2019, Ch. 379, Sec. 6. (SB 647) Effective January 1, 2020.)