Disability Law

An unintended consequence of the new Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act is apparently going to be allowed to stand. The law bans lead from products designed for children age 12 and under. It turns out that many ATVs and dirt bikes do have small amounts of lead in various components. Kids are not going to be ingesting this lead, but it's still covered by the law. Here are excerpts from an AP article on the subject:

Staff members at the Consumer Product Safety Commission have decided against recommending an exemption for all-terrain vehicles and dirt bikes. They can have higher-than-allowed levels of lead in the brake and clutch levers, the valve stems on tires, the battery and the steel molding that holds the engine together.

The new law, called the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, was intended to keep lead away from young children by banning the metal, except in small amounts, from products for kids 12 years and under. Lead can cause irreversible learning disabilities and behavioral problems.

The recommendation was announced Wednesday. The commission usually adopts staff recommendations.