Earlier this year, Congress passed a tough new law that would make it illegal to sell lead and chemically tainted children's products. But now, some companies are saying they can't meet the deadline – and they want to keep selling some of their toxic children's toys after they're supposed to stop!
If the agency lets this deadline slip, consumers will not be able to tell which products are safe for their children. Dangerous levels of phthalates – a class of chemicals that have been linked to cancer and reproductive problems – were banned because they are harmful to our kids. It isn't right for industry to change the rules now for their existing inventory of toys with phthalates, especially since they were involved in developing the new law in the first place.
What good is a deadline if it's not enforced? Don't budge on the February 10 deadline to make the sale of these hazardous children's products illegal! Tell Congress to make sure that the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) enforces the law and bans the sale of toxic phthalates in toys.
Subject: Make sure CPSC enforces product safety law (CPSIA)
Dear [Decision Maker],
I urge you to ensure that the Consumer Product Safety Commission enforces the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act as passed by you, and to make sure retailers and manufacturers abide by the deadline prohibiting the sale and manufacture of children's products that violate lead and chemical standards. If the commission lets these deadlines slip, how can I ever be sure that the products I'm buying for my family are safe?
Congress passed the law in August with a promise to consumers that on Feb. 10, 2009, all children's toys and products that violated lead standards would be illegal to sell. That same deadline also applies to children's toys and items such as teethers and pacifiers made with the class of chemicals called phthalates, which have been linked to cancer and reproductive problems.
Now, some companies are claiming that they cannot meet these deadlines. They argue that the new ban on phthalates should now apply only to products made after Feb. 10, which would allow them to indefinitely sell existing inventory that contains these hazardous chemicals. Some companies are also asking the government to give them an extension on the deadline to comply with the new lead rules.
If existing tainted inventory is allowed to be sold until it runs out, how will I know which products are hazardous? And how many months, or years, worth of tainted inventory is out there?
The safety of our children is too important to let harmful toys and products remain on store shelves past the law's implementation date. Please enforce the CPSIA as passed, and give my family and me the health and safety protections the law intended.
[Your Comments]
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Your Address]
