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U.S. Panel Delays Requirement That Toys Be Tested for Lead Date: 2/3/2009 |
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By Mark Drajem Jan. 31 (Bloomberg) -- A U.S. panel delayed for a year the requirement that all children?s toys be tested for lead content. The Consumer Product Safety Commission voted 2-0 yesterday to delay the requirement one day after 67 business associations predicted ?widespread bankruptcies? because of the costs and confusion about the tests. The rule was to take effect Feb. 10. The commission, in a statement, called the action a limited ?time-out? so that the panel and Congress can ?address the issues with the law that have become so painfully apparent.? ?The stay will give the CPSC time to develop and issue rules defining responsibilities of manufacturers, importers, retailers, and testing labs,? the agency said in the statement. After a spate of recalls in 2007 of toys, many imported from China, that had dangerous levels of lead or posed choking hazards, Congress passed the first overhaul of consumer protection laws in almost two decades last year. While previous regulations included limits on lead, the new law toughened the standard, increased penalties to as much as $15 million and expanded its reach to all products for children 12 years old and younger. That expansion ensnared makers of products such as bicycles and books that aren?t strictly toymakers, and the agency?s top lawyer ruled that all products on store shelves -- not just those made after the Feb. 10 deadline -- would have had to follow the new rules. Mattel, Hasbro The National Association of Manufacturers and other industry associations, which represent companies including the nation?s largest toymakers, Mattel Inc. and Hasbro Inc., wrote in a letter to the agency this week that the law might cause ?massive economic dislocation.? There is ?the potential for widespread bankruptcies,? the industry groups said in the letter. In a press release, the commission said the delay of enforcement ?provides some temporary, limited relief to the crafters, children?s garment manufacturers and toy makers who had been subject to the testing and certification. These businesses will not need to issue certificates based on testing of their products until additional decisions are issued by the commission.? All businesses must still be sure that their products conform to all safety standards and similar requirements, including the lead provision, the agency said. To contact the reporter on this story: Mark Drajem in Washington at mdrajem@bloomberg.net |
| Source: Bloomberg.com |
