(no subject)

[danuv]

I am very concerned about the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act. Under the guise of protecting children from unsafe products Congress passed a law requiring companies that make products for children to have each item tested for lead and phthalates. On the surface this might appear to be a good thing but it makes no allowances for small manufacturers or people who run small mom and pop operations out of their home. There are HUGE number of people who make things like this. This could effect moms who make and sell cloth diapers, who knit baby items, grandpas who make wooden trucks to sell at craft fairs so on and so forth. None of the toys that caused all of the problems and recalls in 2007-8 were from these kind of makers. Almost all of the problem toys were from China. Few small business are going to be able to afford the $4000 price tag to have all of their products independently tested. I seriously hope this gets fixed soon.

More information at this site: http://sites.google.com/site/handmadetoyalliance/

Comments

[apeystar.livejournal.com]

I have an LJ friend who is being effected by this act. She was just starting up a business too. :(

[danuv.livejournal.com]

I kept waiting for someone to pop up and say 'Oh you're all being paranoid, it's not going to have any impact on us and here's why...." but no one ever did. I doubt the government is going to actually go after SusieQHomemaker's House of Handknits or Papa Joe's Toy Shop but I know that it's really worrying a lot of people and making them rethink selling things I want to buy. All of Jack's diapers and covers are made by small businesses or out of someone's home and none of them could afford the testing.