The new AP (Approved Product) Seal, with or without Performance Certification, identifies
art materials that are safe and that are certified in a toxicological evaluation
by a medical expert to contain no materials in sufficient quantities to be toxic
or injurious to humans, including children, or to cause acute or chronic health problems.
This seal is currently replacing the previous non-toxic seals: CP (Certified Product),
AP (Approved Product), and HL Health Label (Non-Toxic) over a 10-year phase-in period.
Such products are certified by ACMI to be labeled in accordance with the chronic
hazard labeling standard, ASTM D 4236, and the U. S. Labeling of Hazardous Art Materials
Act (LHAMA). Additionally, products bearing the AP Seal with Performance Certification
or the CP Seal are certified to meet specific requirements of material, workmanship,
working qualities, and color developed by ACMI and others through recognized standards
organizations, such as the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the American
Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM). Some products cannot attain this performance
certification because no quality standard currently exists for certain types of products.