Consumer Law

Seven Myth-Busting Facts About the CPSIA

By Joe Consumer

Rumor has it that some of our friends in the small enterprise world may be heading down to Washington, DC today to express their views about the Consumer Products Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA).   As a parting gift, ThePopTort is providing the following complimentary and easily totable ?Myth-Buster? list for quick and easy reference.  Enjoy!

1)    Congress passed the CPSIA overwhelmingly in the wake of unprecedented toy recalls, many of which included lead, after almost a year of careful deliberation. 
2)    It is well known that lead exposure in children can result in seizures, comas, brain damage, and ultimately death?and as two recent studies published by the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine indicate (see here and here), even the tiniest amount of lead can hurt children's developing brains.
3)    The Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) has the authority to grant exclusions from the CPSIA to businesses that show there is no risk of harm from the materials they use?but has consistently chosen not to.
4)    Despite being directed by Congressional leaders (including three committee chairs)  to determine whether children?s books and apparel, thrift and consignment store merchandise, and select component parts (among other things) ought to be excluded from CPSIA lead testing requirements, the CPSC has chosen not to officially do so.  (See disclaimer on the first page of this document)
5)    The CPSC has expressly refused to comply with the CPSIA?s mandate to create a database that will make vital information about toxic childrens products available to the general public.
6)    The CPSC?s consistent failure to do its job in implementing the CPSIA demonstrates that Bush holdovers at the agency are doing their level best to ?foot drag? the landmark child safety law to death. 
7)    Some stores are continuing to endanger children by selling products that contain lead, despite passage of the CPSIA. 

Full post as published by ThePopTort on April 01, 2009 (boomark / email).