Consumer Protection and Toxic Chemicals
Posted on August 25, 2008
Filed Under Commentary, Featured, Health & Fitness Headlines |
As someone who has switched over to glass water bottles and Kleen Kanteen products, I have made a personal decision to limit the amount of plastic I use. I choose to do this based on both environmental and health reasons, including an instinct that the somewhat “chemical” smell found in some plastic water bottles can’t be good for you.
As someone who is expecting a baby this fall, I am now looking at all the plastic baby “stuff” with a much more critical eye. Spending nine months avoiding alcohol, caffeine, chemical cleaners, hair dye and anything else I deem risky for the baby and then sticking him with a pacifier made from controversial chemicals seems counter-productive.
Fortunately, as I glance down the never-ending aisles of baby accessories I notice that more and more companies are responding to “plastic” concerns. I am also pleased to find that our U.S. government has recently taken a step to address these concerns as well.
Below is the article which appeared in the Washington Post on August 1st. (As a side note, I also learned that Exxon is the primary manufacturer of the main phthalates found in children’s toys and lead a huge resistance and lobbying effort against the bill.)
Historic legislation that would remove toxic chemicals from toys and put a more powerful and better-funded cop on the beat to police the safety of consumer goods is on the verge of becoming law.
The measure, approved by the Senate in an 89 to 3 vote last night and now awaiting President Bush’s signature, represents the most significant expansion of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) since it was created in 1973. It also marks a fundamental shift in the federal government’s approach to protecting consumers from dangerous products: transforming a reactive stance to a preventive one by dealing with hazards before goods reach the marketplace, including products manufactured overseas.
Although passed too late to affect toys that will be sold this holiday season, the measure’s impact will be felt for years to come, supporters said.
The legislation’s impact on consumers “is vast and can’t be underestimated,” said Rachel Weintraub of the Consumer Federation of America.
Lead, the toxic metal that last year turned up in cherished playthings such as Elmo and Dora the Explorer, effectively would be banned from toys and children’s products. So will some phthalates, a class of chemicals in soft plastic used in teethers, pacifiers and other items that infants and toddlers put in their mouths. The phthalate most commonly used in children’s products, diisononyl phthalate (DINP) will be banned for two years, pending a study.
Toymakers would be required to have independent labs test products before they are sold — a practice many consumers assumed was already happening until last year’s wave of toy recalls. And voluntary safety standards would become mandatory, including a requirement that powerful rare earth magnets in toys not fall out or come loose. From 2003 to 2006, one child died and 19 others required surgery after swallowing magnets.
Consumers could eventually see labels certifying toys have been tested before being sold. When they buy a toy online or through a catalog, they would be able to see the same warning label that appears on packaging to warn parents of small parts or other potential hazards.
Consumers would also be able to look up complaints or accident reports involving not only toys but lighters, electric saws, cribs and other goods in an online database.
To ensure that manufacturers comply with all these new requirements, the CPSC will receive a large boost in resources and authority. The agency budget will nearly double to $136 million, from $80 million for this fiscal year. It has already begun hiring more inspectors for the nation’s largest ports.
The CPSC will have the assistance of state attorneys general who will have the authority to help enforce federal product safety laws. They will be able to take manufacturers to court to keep dangerous products off the market.
“What you’ll see is better systems put in place to check for dangerous products,” said Sen. Mark Pryor (D-Ark.), the measure’s chief backer in the Senate and a former state attorney general.
Companies that fail to report hazards or violate product safety laws could face as much as $15 million in penalties. Previously, that amount was capped at $1.8 million.
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