Safety Laws Ban Toxic Toys

Safety Laws Ban Toxic Toys



August, 2008 - Praise poured in from all quarters

today as President George W. Bush signed into law a bill that bans lead

paint and phthalates in products intended for children under the age of 12

- the strictest such law in the world.

The record-setting 448 product recalls last year - about half of them for

children's products - drove the bill through the legislative process. The

Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 passed both houses of

Congress late last month with overwhelming majorities.

The legislation reauthorizes the Consumer Product Safety Commission for

FYs 2010-2014 and expands the commission's role in uring the safety of

consumer products, especially those designed for children.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, said today that the new

law would give parents peace of mind. "This landmark law will strengthen

our ability to prevent unsafe toys from being sold, remove from the

shelves more quickly products that are found to be harmful, and increase

fines and penalties for violating product safety laws," Pelosi said.

Senator Mark Pryor, an Arkansas Democrat who authored the legislation said

it would "keep toxic toys and other dangerous products out of our homes."

"This new law hands back the reins to the CPSC, our consumer watchdog

agency, by giving it the necessary authority and resources to patrol

today's global marketplace," Pryor said.

 

"We also require more responsibility from manufacturers and retailers, and

stiffen the penalties if they fail to meet higher safety standards. From

the factory floor to the store shelves, there are doz more new

safeguards that we've built in place to prevent unnecessary injuries and

fatalities," Pryor said.

Congressman Bobby Rush of Illinois sponsored the bill in the House.

"Congress is united in its effort to make children's products safer by

establishing a tough new ban on toxic toys and revitalizing the Consumer

Product Safety Commission," said Rush on August 1. "We have taken a big

step towards reestablishing consumer safety and consumer confidence."

The new law bans six different kinds of phthalates - chemicals that make

plastics more flexible. These chemicals have been linked with reproductive

damage. Phthalates can be found in doz of baby and child products,

including bath toys and baby lotions.

The law raises the level of funding for the commission to $136 million in

FY2014 and increases the commission's fulltime staff.

The measure enhances the commission's recall authority, makes its

rulemaking process more efficient, and requires manufacturers of

children's products to place tracking information on all of their

products.

It requires the commission to create a publicly accessible database to

inform people about harms related to the use of consumer products that are

reported by consumers, government agencies, health care professionals, and

other nongovernmental sources.

It also authorizes state attorneys general to bring civil actions on

behalf of residents to obtain injunctive relief from a violation of a

consumer product safety rule.

Under the new law, the commission's inspector general must create a

website to receive CPSC employee reports of waste and fraud.

CPSC Acting Chairman Nancy Nord called the law "a victory for parents and

consumers."

"New regulatory authorities and enforcement tools, many of which I asked

of Congress last year, will make it easier for CPSC to find and recall

unsafe products made around the world," said Nord.

"CPSC is ready to implement the law fully, fairly and in a way that

bolsters the safety of children's products and increases consumer

confidence," she said.

Francesca Grifo with the Union of Concerned Scientists had praise for the

measure. "A stronger Inspector General and a website for CPSC employees to

anonymously report their concerns, along with whistleblower protections

for those who report about unsafe products, will contribute to more

transparency and accountability at this agency," she said July 30 when

Congress passed the bill.

"Toys will be tested for safety before they're sold, so our children

aren't treated like guinea pigs," said Maureen Blackman of the nonprofit

Public Citizen, an advocacy group that lobbied for improved consumer

product safety.

She said now the public must follow through to ure the law operates the

way Congress intended.

"Now that the Consumer Product Safety Commission has more authority and

resources to conduct recalls and test more products, we need to make sure

it does its job," Blackman said. "We will preserve and expand our

legislative victory by monitoring the Commission closely and participating

in its proceedings."





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