PRODUCT SAFETY LETTER
View the entire issue in PDF format.
CPSC TO LOOK AT RECALL CARDS FOR RETAILERS
CPSC June 29 said it will consider whether retailers, private labelers and distributors can take responsibility for the recall registration programs under CPSIA section 104 rules for manufacturers of durable nursery products.
FIREWORKS INJURIES DROPPED SIGNIFICANTLY IN 2008
CPSC found a statistically significant 30% drop in fireworks injuries from 2007 to 2008, according to data it made available June 30.
CANADA TARGETS PLASTIC USED IN BABY BOTTLES
Health Canada June 26 sought more feedback on proposed regulations to control the use of polycarbonate plastic baby bottles containing bisphenol A (BPA), linked to possible health hazards to infants.
CPSC BRIEFS
Briefs on bicycles, baby floats, cribs, lamps, electronic timers, generators, rope cutters, snowmobiles, pool chemicals, CPSC meetings
STANDARDS & TESTING BRIEFS
Briefs on pools/spas, bike wheels, scooters, fule containers (2 briefs), chests/drawers, floor covering, go-karts, baseballs/softballs, baseball bats, fitness equipment, cords/cables, gas torches, power outlets, wire connectors, dampers, emergency lighting, appliance wiring, lights, landscape lights, lighting, elecric fences, chimney liners, HVAC, cables.
RESEARCH & JOURNALS BRIEFS
Briefs on pool chemicals, phthalates.
FOREIGN & INTERNATIONAL BRIEFS
Briefs on phone chargers, toys, utility lighters, pacifiers, baby seats, RAPEX.
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Monday, July 6, 2009
GENERAL INTEREST
The Bad Goods from China
Arizona Daily Star (Tucson, Ariz.)
Chinese manufacturers made more than half of the goods the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recalled last year, but few of them paid any price for producing defective wares.
Garage Sale Sellers Should Know Their Inventory
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle (Rochester, N.Y.)
Before putting kids' toys or cribs out for sale at your garage sale, look them over.
Faking It: Nothing Phony about Profits in the Knockoff Business
Long Island Business News (Ronkonkoma, N.Y.)
A couple of years ago a building inspector in North Hempstead was checking out a warehouse when he noticed something was wrong with the back gates.
New CPSC Head Promises To Make CPSIA a Priority
Publishers Weekly (New York, N.Y.)
Last Friday's Senate confirmation of Inez Tenenbaum as the new head of the Consumer Product Safety Commission has given many in the publishing industry hope that some of the issues surrounding the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act may finally be resolved.
CARBON MONOXIDE
Carbon-Monoxide Detectors Required in Homes
Denver Post (Denver, Colo.)
New homes and those put up for sale in Colorado must now be equipped with carbon-monoxide detectors.
CLOTHING, FOOTWEAR & ACCESSORIES
New Lead Alert: Fake-Leather Purses and Wallets Can Contain Lead
Sun-Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)
For years, we've been told to watch out for lead in paint and toys. Now maybe we need to add purses and wallets to the list.
FURNITURE
Pattern of Co-Sleeping in Infant Deaths
Peoria Journal Star (Peoria, Ill.)
Six infants have died this year alone after reportedly sleeping next to their mother or other relative.
JUVENILE PRODUCTS & CHILDCARE ITEMS
Outing the Toxic in our High Chairs
Alternet (San Francisco, Calif)
Baby products throughout the United States are saturated with toxic flame retardants, and it is going to stay that way if the bromine industry has its way.
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The Simplicity Recall is a Ready Made Story
by Product Safety Letter staff
Oh yawn, another recall. As tragic as the potential consequences can be for failing to respond to a recall, that’s probably the reaction not only of many consumers, but of many news reporters. With CPSC handling over 500 recalls a year, it’s easy to see why. But – in the man-bites-dog news tradition that the unusual is deemed more newsworthy than the usual – what might seem like a liability in a current recall might actually help gain attention to it.
Product Safety and the Economy
by Product Safety Letter staff
CPSC Chairman Inez Tenenbaum June 30 at the agency’s annual fireworks safety event touched on a recent common theme: product safety risks related to a bad economy. The most obvious such dangers involve the increased allure of used products, and the agency is addressing those risks in its work on cribs and second-hand sellers, among other areas. But Tenenbaum’s point had to do with something beyond the sale of damaged, worn and previously-recalled items.
What Exactly Is a CHAP?
by Product Safety Letter staff
CPSC’s heard last week that there might be a conflict between the need to get good data for its in-the-works Chronic Hazard Advisory Panel (CHAP) that will look at phthalates and the EU’s REACH data-protection provisions. More on that development is in the current edition of Product Safety Letter. Meanwhile, what exactly is a CHAP? Assembling one is such a rare activity – the most recent one did its work a decade ago from 1999 to 2001 – that soon after the passage of the CPSIA, some agency staffers expressed confusion about the process. Presumably that has changed in the intervening months, but here is some background:
Lifespan of Durable Juvenile Products
by the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association
The Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA) actively promotes the safe use and selection of juvenile products. Recent media reports notwithstanding, durable products such as cribs are intended to last for years (or multiple births) when properly cared for.
The Facts You Need to Establish When Planning a Recall
by Product Safety Letter staff
CPSC currently is reviewing comments on its March notice of proposed rulemaking (NPR) for a guideline and requirements for mandatory recalls.
When Is a Pen Only a Pen?
by Eric L. Stone
In a letter from the General Counsel of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) dated June 4, 2009, CPSC helps those who have been struggling to understand how the agency interprets the “children’s product” definition in the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (Public Law 110-314, 122 Stat. 3016, August 14, 2008) (CPSIA). According to the CPSC, mere marketing to children does not convert a pen into a children’s product, nor do novelty features necessarily do so.
Cartoon = Child’s Product = CPSIA Trigger? Maybe Not
by Product Safety Letter staff
Does a cartoon character make a product so attractive to children under age 12 that the item must be considered a child’s product and thus be subject to the CPSIA? Not always: price points and marketing can matter too.
Three Steps to Getting Your Product Recalls Under Control
by Donald R. Kornblet
For product safety personnel charged with responsibility for risk management in their areas, the matter is simple: to be prepared, or not to be prepared,that is the question.
Who Is Responsible to Ensure Compliance with the Flammable Fabrics Act?
by Ron Pacheco
The Flammable Fabrics Act, also known as 16CFR Part 1610, is a flammability regulation that covers all apparel fabrics with the exception of hats, gloves, footwear, and interlining fabrics ... There are many merchants and retailers who are unaware of the above and believe that flammability testing is only for children’s apparel. This is incorrect.
Crib Safety at a Crossroads
by Nancy A. Cowles
In 2007, recalls and news stories drew attention to lead-laced toys from China. Suddenly, consumers started to pay attention to the steady drumbeat of recall notices.umbeat of recall notices.
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