Letter

Daily

Forum

Volume 39 - Number 6
February 8, 2010

 
FREE
 

Click Here to sign up for daily email updates

PRODUCT SAFETY LETTER
View the entire issue in PDF format.

CPSC Seeks $400,000 Extra in FY2011 and Frees $13.9 Million More
CPSC would get $118.6 million in fiscal 2011 under the budget request sent to Congress February 1.

CPSC Returns to Small Business Ombudsman
CPSC’s 2011 budget request explains that it “is establishing a full time ombudsman position” to aid small businesses, especially related to the CPSIA.

CPSC Dealt with Nearly 3,500 FoIAs in FY09
CPSC received 3,435 Freedom of Information (FoIA) requests in fiscal 2009 and processed 3,465.

Schylling Settles Lead Paint and Reporting Allegations
Schylling Associates will pay $200,000 to settle CPSC allegations related to lead paint and reporting failure.

EU and U.S Looking at Tanning Beds
The European Union’s Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks is looking at the health effects of artificial light.

ECHA Reviews Classes of Three Chemicals
gave opinions on harmonizing the classification and labeling of three chemicals.

GAO Urges EPA to Review TSCA Authority
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) needs to review its authority under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) to require biomonitoring data, according to a February 4 report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO).

CPSC Briefs
Briefs on pools/spas, nursery products, consumer opinions, flammability standards, recalls, meetings.

Other Federal Briefs
Briefs on SIDS, injury prevention.

Standards & Testing Briefs
Briefs on ASTM standards, UL standards.

Foreign & International Briefs
Briefs on recalls, RAPEX.

CPSC Commissioners and Executive Staff
An organizational chart, including phone numbers and email addresses.

Tenenbaum Talks to PSL about the CPSIA, Cadmium and More
from the February 1 issue

Whether or not Congress makes the changes to the CPSIA that CPSC suggested last month, the agency will continue to move forward with its work related to the law, CPSC Chairman Inez Tenenbaum told PSL January 27.

Adler Provides Views on CPSIA Lead Issues
from the February 1 issue

CPSC Commissioner Robert Adler January 22 weighed in on the debates surrounding how the CPSIA handles lead, giving Congress three points he said it should consider if it decides to move on commissioners' suggested improvements to the law.

Northup and AHAM Discuss CPSIA and Other Issues
from the February 1 issue

Discussion January 27 between Commissioner Anne Northup and visitors from the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM) included expanding CPSC-AHAM cooperation on safety outreach, ranges tipovers, cooking fires, the CPSIA database, the CPSIA 15(j) provision that facilitates commission adoption of voluntary standards as mandatory, and recall effectiveness.

POGO Approaches CPSC with ISA-PS Concerns
from the February 1 issue

CPSC staffers January 27 assured visitors from the Project on Government Oversight (POGO) about the agency's handling of the importer program in development with Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

CPSC Gives Update on ATV Incidents
from the February 1 issue

CPSC knows of 9,633, ATV-related deaths from 1982 to the end of 2008, according to an agency report made available January 22.

Adler Welcomes AAP Help to Promote Child Safety
from the February 1 issue

Commissioner Robert Adler Jan. 26 welcomed suggestions from a top U.S. pediatrician on ways CPSC and the medical community can work together to improve child safety.

EU Guide Gives Rules for Member States
from the February 1 issue

The EU's new RAPEX guidelines, published in the January 26 Official Journal of the European Union, gives dozens of rules EU members states must follow when participating in the product safety reporting program.

Australia Moves Against Phthalate
from the February 1 issue

Australia's Consumer Affairs Minister Craig Emerson (Labor) January 25 announced that the nation would ban toys and baby products with more than 1% di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP).

CPSC Looks to Expediting Crib Rules
from the January 25 issue

CPSC will take a six-part approach to crib safety, including an expedited rulemaking, Chairman Inez Tenenbaum told the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s oversight subcommittee January 21.

CPSC Reviews Non-Pool/Spa Submersion Incidents in Young Children
from the January 25 issue

From 2006 to 2008 there were an annual average of 43 non-fatal submersion incidents among children under age five not involving pools or spas, according to a CPSC report made available January 20.

CPSC Sends CPSIA Advice to Congress
from the January 25 issue

CPSC January 15 sent three recommendations to Congress for improving the CPSIA.

CPSC Regains 20 Voluntary Standards Projects
from the January 25 issue

CPSC increased its voluntary standards projects by 20 in the second half of fiscal 2009, a January 11 report showed.

February 9, 2010

GENERAL INTEREST

Toward Safer Plastics that Lock in Potentially Harmful Plasticizers
Chemie.de (Berlin)
Scientists have published the first report on a new way of preventing potentially harmful plasticizers — the source of long-standing human health concerns — from migrating from one of the most widely used groups of plastics.

Oh, What a Failing
The Australian (Sydney, Australia)
Toyoda's excruciating act of contrition on Friday night was not his first, even in the eight months he has been in charge - nor the first time a Toyota Motor Corp president has apologised for his company failing the high standards the world has expected of them for three decades.

GreenSpace: The Chemicals Within: Just How Safe Are They?
The Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia, Pa.)
What's in your body? A number of chemicals are becoming more worrisome.

Chemophobia and the Chemical Body Burden Crisis
Gov Monitor (Delray Beach, Fla.)
The false idea that our bodies have become 'toxic waste dumps' is not just wrong but counterproductive.


BUILDING MATERIAL

New Lead-Paint Rules Generate Angry Response
Kalamazoo Gazette (Kalamazoo, Mich.)
News of new Environmental Protection Agency regulations for lead safety training for contractors has met with a bit of anger.


CARBON MONOXIDE

NY to Require Carbon Monoxide Detectors in Most Homes
WRGB (Alban, N.Y.)
Starting later this month, New York State will require most homes to have at least one carbon monoxide detector.


FOOD WARE & KITCHEN ITEMS

Further Info about Lunch Containers
Marblehead Reporter (Marblehead, Mass.)
A recent recycling "tip" recommended packing children's lunches in reusable plastic containers as opposed to plastic bags and aluminum foil.


TOYS

Single Law on Chemicals Could Lower Toy Prices
The Wichita Eagle (Wichita, Kansas)
Asian toymakers supplying most of the world's dolls and games say their costs may drop 15 percent if U.S. and European Union watchdogs streamline regulations on chemicals in children's playthings.


-----------------------------------------

February 8, 2010

GENERAL INTEREST

Research Breakthrough Keeps Phthalates from Migrating out of PVC
Plastics Today (Middleburg Heights, Ohio)
Researchers believe they have developed a way to ensure phthalate plasticizers become permanently bound within any PVC part in which they are used, with zero migration of the additives.

We Will Not Tolerate Safe Effective Products
Fox Business News (New York, N.Y.)
Cowardly "capitalists" keep caving in to demands from business-hating lefties.

Recalling Recent Recalls
Denver Post (Denver, Colo.)
So the gas pedal is a little sticky.

The Chemical Revolt
Pioneer Press (St. Paul, Minn.)
Phthalates. Dioxin. Deca. Bisphenol A. A half-dozen years ago, only scientists knew these words.


RECENT CPSC RECALL NOTICES

Toy Guns for Choking Risk


ATVs, SNOWMOBILES, ETC.

Proposed Legislation Targets ATV Riders
LaSalle News Tribune (LaSalle, Ill.)
Local dirt bike and all-terrain vehicle enthusiasts are used to adrenaline-fueled rides through wooded trails and on motocross trails, but nothing gets their hearts pumping quite like having a state legislator propose taking away their ability to ride.


BUILDING MATERIAL

Removing Paint Now Requires Extra Caution
Stockton Record (Stockton, Calif.)
Do-it-yourselfers looking to remodel a home built before 1978, beware: A new law policed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will take effect April 22 requiring new safety precautions or a certified professional to remove lead-based paints or other materials.

Be Careful When Working with Lead Paint
Indianapolis Star (Indianapolis, Ind.)
I want to strip the woodwork in my older home. 


HOUSEHOLD CHEMICALS & CLEANING PRODUCTS

Activists Want Makers to Come Clean on Cleansers
BusinessWeek (New York, N.Y.)
It's the mystery under the kitchen sink.


JUVENILE PRODUCTS & CHILDCARE ITEMS

Senator Fuschillo Conducts Public Forum Examining Need For Statewide Ban Of Drop-Side Cribs
Long Island Exchange (East Northport, N.Y.)
LI Parents who lost children to drop-side cribs, child safety experts, pediatrician, child product industry rep join call for statewide ban of dangerous cribs

Crib Crusade Goes Statewide
WNBC (New York, N.Y.)
It has become their crusade. Two Long Island couples, bonded by a common tragedy, now also share a crusade against the piece of furniture they claim changed their lives forever -- the so called "drop-side" crib.


LIGHTERS, CANDLES, ETC.

Dangerous 'Toy' Lighters Banned
Perth Now (Perth, Australia)
Toy-like novelty cigarette lighters are being banned in Western Australia from today, amid fears children could literally end up playing with fire.


TOYS

Lead-Contaminated Toys Seized at Seattle's Waterfront
Seattle Times (Seattle, Wash.)
Thousands of toys seized last month at the Seattle waterfront were found to contain harmful amounts of lead, U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced Friday

Seattle: Customs Seizes Lead-Contaminated NFL Toys in January
The News Tribune (Tacoma, Washington)
U.S. Customs and Border Protection investigators seized two container loads of lead-contaminated toys at the Port of Seattle on January 12th according to a news release.

Just in Time for The Super Bowl Part II: Customs Seizes 17,592 Lead-Contaminated NFL Toys from Seattle Docks
Seattle Weekly (Seattle, Wash.)
?You know Cleatus, right?

Exclusive: Toy Story 3: Adventures in Red China
Family Security Matters (Washington, D.C.)
In the past few decades, the United States has enjoyed friendly trade relations with China.


Tenenbaum Talks to PSL about the CPSIA and More
Product Safety Letter staff

Product Safety Letter January 27 sat down with CPSC Chairman Inez Tenenbaum to discuss her views on various issues. The topics included what to expect in the coming year, the commission's recent suggestions for CPSIA changes, cadmium, the testing and certification stay, component testing, drywall, her opinions about regulated industry, and her view of her job. Here's what she had to say:


CPSIA 101 Flexibility Among CPSC Recommendations to Congress
Product Safety Letter staff

CPSC late Friday, January 15, sent three recommendations to Congress for improving the CPSIA. The suggestions received unanimous support from commissioners. The first involves flexibility in applying the section 101(a) lead provisions. The commission mentions children's off-road vehicles, bicycles and books as items that are falling under the lead-content restrictions and suggests that Congress likely did not intend that. While not going into specifics, commissioners asked for flexibility to help it deal with such unintended situations.


Everything That Rises Must Converge … Or Not … It Depends
Sean Oberle

It's funny how events arise and get set to converge sometimes. Two prominent senators -- Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) -- are calling for action on cadmium in children's products at the same time that CPSC's January 15 deadline nears for getting its suggested improvements to the CPSIA to Congress.


CPSC Names CHAP
Product Safety Letter staff

CPSC December 23 made available the names of the members of the chronic hazard advisory panel (CHAP) that will look at three temporarily banned phthalates as mandated by the CPSIA.


Oh Won't You Stay ... Just a Little Bit Longer
Sean Oberle

I can't seem to get the falsetto part from Jackson Browne's Stay out of my head today. In any event, below is a verbatim reproduction of a very useful overview and chart produced by CPSC staff explaining what is and is not subject to the extended stay of enforcement for CPSIA testing and certification. Late yesterday, commissioners voted 4-1 to extend the stay to February 10, 2011 related to lead content -- Commissioner Robert Adler voted no. The day before, they voted 5-0 for a complex approach to non-lead issues, extending the stay for some products and not for others.…and if the Gee-Cee don't mind …. and if Compliance don't mind …


Oh Won't You Stay ... Just a Little Bit Longer
Product Safety Letter staff

CPSC Commissioners voted December 17 to extend the stay of enforcement on testing certification related to lead for one year to February 10, 2011. Below are links to statements of Chairman Inez Tenenbaum -- Yes Commissioner Anne Northup -- Yes Commissioner Nancy Nord -- Yes Commissioner Robert Adler -- No…


CPSC Votes for Complex Stay Approach
Product Safety Letter staff

CPSC commissioners voted 5-0 December 16 to lift the testing and certification stay on certain products, but decided to “bifurcate” the decision related to lead issues until December 17. They will vote by ballot.


CPSC To Get $118 Million; CPSIA-Amendment Requests Due January 15
Product Safety Letter staff

CPSC is set to receive the full $118.2 million called for under the CPSIA for fiscal 2010 under the final appropriations bill approved by the Senate 57-35 December 13. The full funding follows a rising trend in the number. In May, President Barack Obama's initial budget request of $107 million would have been a 10.5% reduction from the CPSIA figure. After that, early versions of the Senate and House budget bills would have given CPSC about $115 million and $113 million respectively.


Zhu Zhus: Who Loses?
Sean Oberle

The recent brouhaha over the since-retracted safety allegations leveled at Zhu Zhu Pet toys by GoodGuide raises the question of who got hurt. I contend that the biggest victims might be other consumer advocacy groups. Please don’t misunderstand: the manufacturer, Cepia, is the primary victim, and what happened was wrong -- although it will be interesting, given that the small company has been unable to keep up with demand, to see whether it will need to stop supplying at full capacity to deal with a slowdown in demand. However, consumer groups might be hurt more.


Brass Bushings, Brass Bands, Brass Keys, Brass Tacks ... and Pens
Sean Oberle

CPSC’s recent decision to deny a petition to exclude brass in toys from CPSIA Section 101 lead provisions has raised much protest. The complaints have focused on at least four issues that are related and thus can become mingled and confused. The following identifies and separates the four issues.



Home | Subscribe | Login | Search | Contact Us

Publishing Systems Powered by Internet Production, Inc.

Search
Advanced Search