(a) Whenever an authorized agent of the department finds, or has probable cause to believe, that any tableware has the potential to release amounts of lead or cadmium in violation of this chapter, he or she shall affix to the tableware a detention tag, embargo tag, or other similar marking, as determined appropriate by the authorized agent. The tag or other marking shall give notice that the tableware is suspected of releasing amounts of lead or cadmium in violation of this chapter and that no person shall remove or dispose of the tableware by sale or otherwise until permission for removal or disposal is given by an authorized agent of the department or the court.
(b) For the purposes of this section, an authorized agent has probable cause to believe that tableware has the potential to release amounts of lead or cadmium in violation of this chapter when, but not limited to instances when, the tableware tests positive for lead or cadmium release using the field test described in the document published by the United States Food and Drug Administration entitled Analytical Letters Vol. 21, 1988, pages 2145 to 2154, inclusive, or any other test for lead release subsequently approved for field use by the United States Food and Drug Administration and determined by the department to be at least as effective a test for lead or cadmium release as the test described in this subdivision.
(c) If a field test conducted pursuant to subdivision (b) tests positive for lead release, the department shall use the Association of Official Analytical Chemists/American Society for Testing and Material 24-hour test method, or any other test subsequently approved by the federal Food and Drug Administration determined by the department to be at least as effective a test for lead or cadmium release as the test described in this subdivision. The department shall conduct or obtain those tests within a reasonable time after embargoing affected tableware, and shall release any tableware found not to violate the standards of this chapter within a reasonable time after the laboratory test has been completed. For any food establishment, as defined in Section 113780, the department shall conduct or obtain those tests within a reasonable time, not to exceed 10 days, after embargoing affected tableware, and shall release any tableware found not to violate the standards of this chapter within 96 hours after the laboratory test has been conducted.
(d) If an item of tableware is found to violate this chapter, the manufacturer, importer, retailer, and distributor shall, at the option of the holder of the tableware, either provide the holder of the tableware with comparable replacement tableware acceptable to the holder or be liable to the holder of the tableware for the cost of purchasing comparable replacement tableware.
(e) No person shall remove, sell, or dispose of detained or embargoed tableware without permission of an authorized agent of the department or a court.
(Added by Stats. 1995, Ch. 415, Sec. 6. Effective January 1, 1996.)