Children's Products

Update on the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act.

Over the weekend many Bloggers and Homeschoolers posted about the CSPC granting a one year stay on the implementation of this Act. Be not deceived my friends, this is a “Trojan Horse” offering by the CSPC and Congress to give you and me a false sense of victory. Read the fine print. This so called Stay, only applies to testing of new products imported by large retailers, and does nothing to address Second-hand Stores or the issues involving books.

The Stay states and I quote;
“The stay of enforcement on testing and certification does not address thrift and second hand stores and small retailers because they are not required to test and certify products under the CPSIA. The products they sell, including those in inventory on February 10, 2009, must not contain more than 600 ppm lead in any accessible part. The Commission is aware that it is difficult to know whether a product meets the lead standard without testing and has issued guidance for these companies that can be found on our web site.”
When you check the guidance you will find that the only protection this Stay gives these stores is to exempt them from Civil Action. But, what the CSPC fails to state is that these stores will still be at risk of being fined and imprisoned by the Federal Government for non-compliance.

Do not think we have won. This is a simply the Federal Government making a change to help large retailers during the economic crunch. If Congress really cared they would do the responcible thing, scrap the current Act and start over.

Take care my friends,


Gerald