It's time for consumer issues to get attention

Product safety
Congress just gave the Consumer Product Safety Commission more money. The Commission’s budget will increase from $63 to $80 million. This will make it possible to put more federal inspectors on the beat – something that’s sorely needed.

But there’s much more to be done. Congress needs to pass tougher safety laws and give the CPSC power to enforce them through mandatory recalls.

For example, lead paint cannot be used on toys, but children’s jewelry can be made with lead – there’s no regulation that prohibits it. This is ludicrous!

A lead trinket with a high lead content can be fatal if swallowed by a small child.

Don Mays, senior director of product safety and planning at Consumers Union, says more than 175 million pieces of children’s jewelry have been voluntarily recalled the last few years because of high lead levels.

CPSC is working on a rule to deal with this ongoing problem. Mays says that’s not good enough and it’s not happening quickly enough.

“They need to have mandatory authority to pull that stuff off the market and prevent it from coming into the market in the first place,” Mays says.

And get this – current law does not prohibit retailers from selling products that have been voluntarily recalled. It’s also legal for manufacturers to ship recalled products to another country for sale. Consumers Union wants both practices banned.

Toy safety
Last year was a record one for toy recalls. The toy industry has done many things to improve its safety performance and restore customer confidence. Oversight at foreign factories, especially China, has been greatly improved. Independent tests are now done by manufacturers and retailers. But all of this is voluntary. It could stop at any time.

“There’s still trouble in toyland,” says Ed Mierzwinski, consumer program director for U.S. PIRG, who wants Congress to protect America’s youngest consumers.

The House passed legislation that would give the CPSC more authority to ban dangerous toys. It would also lower the permissible limits of lead in children’s products. There’s a tougher bill in the Senate, but it’s been stalled. Mierzwinski blames toy makers for that.

“They convinced senators to go slow,” he charges, “hoping the Senate would adopt the House bill, which is a positive step forward, but not as strong as the Senate bill.”

What’s in the Senate bill that’s not in the House version? Mierzwinski says it imposes higher penalties on wrong doers, protects product safety whistle blowers, and makes it easier for the public to learn about product hazards.

The bottom line
This unfinished business needs to move off the back burner. The health, safety, and financial well-being of the American people depend on it.

Think it’s time for Congress to get going on these issues? Then let your elected representatives know how you feel. Use this congressional directory to find contact information.

More information:

• Consumers Union: Not In My Cart
• Consumers Union: Eight-point plan to police hazardous imports
• CDC: Toy Jewelry and Childhood Lead Exposure
• Keep America’s Food Safe: The Case for Increased Funding at FDA
• CSPI: Congress Needs to Build a Modern Food Safety System
• Consumer Action: Senate highlights unfair credit card rate hikes

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