INCLUDES STRICTEST LEAD STANDARD FOR CONSUMER PRODUCTS

Washington, Jul 30, 2008 - “Consumer products are central to modern life, yet these products, such as toys, appliances, and sporting goods, are involved in some 25,000 deaths and 33 million injuries every year,” stated Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-FL). “Last year, I participated in a hearing on the recall of millions of Chinese-made toys and other children’s products due to safety concerns with lead contamination and other risks. The goal of enhancing the safety of American consumers led me to join in developing the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, H.R. 4040.”

The House today approved the final version of H.R. 4040. Stearns was the senior Republican on the subcommittee that drafted the House version and worked with his Senate counterparts as a conferee on this final bill. Explained Stearns, “This measure implements the strictest standard for lead content in consumer products. The measure also requires testing and certification of children’s products and for manufacturers to track and/or label children’s products so that purchasers can respond to a re-call, and increases the resources for the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to safeguard the public.”

The measure codifies a lead limit for lead of 600 parts per million (ppm) that drops to 100 ppm in two years. It also prohibits the use of certain phthalates (certain plastics containing potentially harmful compounds) in toys and other children’s products, increases civil and criminal penalties for violations, and provides expedited rulemaking authority to speed up the recall process. In addition, H.R. 4040 directs the CPSC to make the current voluntary toy safety standards mandatory, and establishes a regime for third-party, in-house testing of all toys and children’s products.