3
Close check on child-product chemicals
A team of rubber ducks
To view this content, Javascript must be enabled and Adobe Flash Player must be installed.
TEXT OF STORY
Bill Radke: A sweeping new U.S. law goes into effect today to protect children from lead and plastic-softening chemicals called phthalates. Congress passed it after last year's recalls of Chinese-made toys. The new rules set tight standards on products from dolls and pacifiers to jewelry and child furniture. Mitchell Hartman reports.
Mitchell Hartman: OK, I just went out and bought this rubber duckie -- plastic, actually -- made in China. It's soft, squeaky . . . and as of today, it can't have more than one-tenth of 1 percent phthalates, or 600 parts per million of lead. That would be against the law and could lead to big fines.
But under pressure from business groups, the Consumer Product Safety Commission delayed the costly requirement that products be tested and certified for one more year.
Scott Wolfson of the Consumer Product Safety Commission says in time, it will become easier to find out what's in your kid's rubber duckie or Talking Elmo.
Scott Wolfson: Labeling to help parents will be coming. But parents starting today should have increased confidence that a new law is in place to protect their children.
Wolfson points out that many big manufacturers and store chains were already meeting the new standards months ago.
I'm Mitchell Hartman for Marketplace.
You make light of a very serious issue. The CPSIA law had good intentions but was written poorly, resulting in negative effects on those of use who have built businesses to offer safe alternatives to mass manufactured toys produced overseas (these are most of the toys that have been recalled for lead). US made toys have not been recalled for lead. What is at risk here is beautiful, handmade toys made of natural materials that are inherently safe. Mandatory 3rd Party testing is extremely expensive and cost-prohibitive for small manufacturers making small batches of toys. We are all in favor of safe toys for children but the way the law is written it favors the mass-producers who allowed lead to be introduced into their toys in the first place. Please read the law and interview business owners who are making toys in America. The yodeling pickle and rubber duckies are not representative of the toys that are endangered. What is endangered are handmade solid wood trucks, blocks, dolls made of all natural materials, handsewn blankets made of organic materials, etc. These toys represent a small percentage of toys sold in the US compared with mass-produced imported toys, but they are essential for the healthy development of our children. We want safe natural toys for our children. The fact that some of us run small toy stores that sell these toys, and want our businesses to remain open and legal, is secondary to our desire to offer these toys for children. Please cover this issue more thoroughly.
This is the second story that Marketplace has run on the CPSIA and you continue to misrepresent the issues. Last time it was yodeling pickles, this time rubber duckies. This law is not just about toys--it affects everything intended for use by a child, from clothing to books to bicycles. The CPSC has stayed some provisions of the law, but many others are now in force and are unnecessarily hurting small businesses without improving safety. Your last story received more than a dozen insightful comments from listeners, all of which have been ignored. Please give this story the depth it deserves. Thanks,
Dan Marshall
member, Handmade Toy Alliance
