CPSC Secures Agreement with Apple for Enhanced Warnings to Protect Children from Hazards of Battery Ingestion; Apple Takes Action to Address Labeling Violations on AirTags
WASHINGTON, Jan. 2, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Today the Office of Compliance and Field Operations of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) issued a Notice of Violation to Apple, Inc. concerning Apple AirTags, alleging violations of the warning label requirements of Reese’s Law. Reese’s Law and CPSC regulations that implement it establish performance and warning label requirements for consumer products with button cell or coin batteries, to protect children from life threatening ingestion.
Apple’s AirTag, a popular tracking device, met the performance requirements for securing the AirTag’s lithium coin cell battery; however, the units imported after the March 19, 2024, effective date of Reese’s Law did not have the required on-product and on-box warnings concerning the severe risk of injury from battery ingestion if these small batteries are not kept out of reach of children.
Apple has now included a warning symbol inside the battery compartment and changed its box to include required warning statements and symbols. Because a number of violative units have been sold to consumers, and to assist consumers in the future, Apple has updated the instructions that appear in the Find My app each time a user is prompted to change the AirTag battery to now include a warning about the hazards of button and coin cell batteries.
CPSC reminds all manufacturers, importers, distributors, and retailers that failure to comply with Reese’s Law could result in enforcement action. Section 15(b) of the Consumer Product Safety Act requires manufacturers, importers, distributors and retailers of consumer products or any other products or substances over which the Commission has jurisdiction to report immediately to the CPSC when they obtain information which reasonably supports the conclusion that such products distributed in commerce fail to comply with an applicable consumer product safety rule or any other rule, regulation, standard or ban enforced by the Commission.
Manufacturers can find more information on compliance in Button Cell and Coin Battery Business Guidance | CPSC.gov.
Individual Commissioners may have statements related to this topic. Please visit www.cpsc.gov/commissioners to search for statements related to this or other topics.
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CPSC Secures Agreement with Apple for Enhanced Warnings to Protect Children from Hazards of Battery Ingestion; Apple Takes Action to Address Labeling Violations on AirTags, source
