You might have heard me mention the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) that goes into effect on Feb 10, 2009. I (and many others) was hopeful that there might be some amendment when Congress met to hear it on Dec. 10, but the hearing was cancelled and it doesn't appear that there will be any sort of change before the law takes effect.
The CPSIA requires testing of all products intended for children under 12 for the presence of lead and/or phthalates. ALL PRODUCTS. This includes books, toys, clothes, car seats, strollers, slings... Anything designed to be used by children. And there is no exclusion for used items, or for existing inventory. Childrens resale shops? Gone. 1/2 of Goodwill, gone. 1/2 of eBay, gone. You get the picture.
This is just another example of government run amok. Lead is bad. I want it out of things that I buy for my children. But the way that this law is written will decimate resale and specialty markets. Every lot in every color of everything will have to be tested. Even if every component has been certified, the end product must still be tested. So, for one-of-a-kind items, that means every one of them. And the testing is very expensive. It's estimated to be $4,000 for toys, $150-$500 for clothes. The little guy, with little lots, or the resaler, just wont be able to comply. Just what we need in an economy barely breathing.
This passed in the House 424 to 1. Guess who the one was??? Ron Paul for president!!
LA Times wrote about it here, and Molly Orr has a couple of good posts on her blog if you scroll down a bit. Valerie talks about the changes coming to her book business. There are lots more if you google a bit.
This is where I will share lots of pictures of the kids for family and friends far away, as well as tidbits of our life. I'm also likely to share what I learn and what I think about a wide variety of topics, always coming from 2 steps to the right!
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