President Signs Landmark Act for Consumer Product Safety

Staff Writter, Dec 23, 2008

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CALPIRG is applauding the recent enactment of the landmark
2008 Consumer Product Safety Modernization Act, providing the toughest lead
standards in the entire world for products for children. The act is also
strengthening the oversight of children's products and toys by the Consumer
Product Safety Commission, as this oversight has withered on the vine over the
past few years. The Product Safety Modernization Act is a strong act built on
strong leadership that according to a Legislative advocate with CALPIRG is
going to serve as a huge victory for the littlest consumers in America.

Last year, CALPIRG, which stands for the California Public
Interest Research Group began to alert shoppers to hidden hazards in toys,
releasing a toy safety survey called Trouble in Toyland. This was the 22^nd
annual release of the toy safety survey. The report stated that while there had
been significant progress over the past two decades, researchers were still
finding dangerous toys and toys laden with lead on the store shelves. In 2007,
additionally, the Consumer Product Safety Commission or CPSC recalled millions
of different popular toys including Polly Pocket and Barbie toys because poorly
designed magnets were capable of falling out.

There were a number of other toy hazards that were reported
in the annual survey released by CALPIRG, including toys containing phthalates
and other toxic substances, toys that were excessively loud and toys that
offered strangulation hazards. Consumer groups have even dubbed 2007 as the
year of the recall because of the sheer number of hazardous toys that were
released and then had to be pulled from the market.

The passing of this bill is a truly historic step forward
when it comes to product safety, especially for children. In addition to the
massive increase that it offers in funding and resources for the CPSC, it also
increases civil penalties as well as recall authorities. Additionally, this law
will make the voluntary toy standards in the industry mandatory, meaning that
many past hazards will now be the subject of new laws and third party testing.
It will also ban six toxic phthalates from being used in children's products,
three of which are permanently banned and three which are subject to scientific
review by the CPSC. The law will also require that choking hazards be disclosed
in internet advertising, and will require establishment of a database of
potential hazards that can be publicly accessed through the CPSC.