What is your opinion about the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act?

If manufacturers are making children’s products, they should be tested for lead. Period.

I think they should be forced to comply. When the health of my kids is at stake I am not going to negotiate. On the up side maybe there is an opportunity for an entrepreneur to develop an inexpensive lead testing kit.

I understand the plight of small business owners, but my interest is protecting the next generation.
I wouldn’t mind paying a couple of extra bucks for a toy from a small manufacturer if I knew it was safe. Right now we only buy from the big ones because of the recent scare.

@all FYI, consignment shops and thrift stores have been exempted.

Is this a statute that will only be in effect in the United States? From my understanding, most of the lead scare is from toys manufactured and painted in China. I wonder if it will have any effect on the real problem.

Many individuals who make toys make one-of-a-kinds. I can’t imagine the expense involved with testing every single toy like that. Perhaps a good compromise would be a label that clearly states, “This toy has not been tested for lead.” Let the parent decide.

If we price small toymakers out of the market, then only big corporations will be in control of what most parents buy for their children. I’d rather have a toy made for love of children, rather than a big profit motive, like toys used to be made.

In agriculture, it’s usually the big players who cause the problems (e coli, etc.), not the small-time farmers who sell locally. I’m willing to bet that it’s the same with toys. A large corporation with an incentive to shave a few pennies off of every unit made is probably more likely to let some lead paint slide through, but I don’t think someone who makes toys one at a time in their home would have as big an incentive to cover them in lead paint in the first place.

I had thought that I put this in the question….

See this link for more info about the CPSIA

I thought this was not being enforced?

@Mizuki
“The Standard Consumer Safety Specification for Toy Safety, ASTM F963–07 becomes a mandatory consumer product safety standard on February 10, 2009.”

From this link

Ah, what’s the big deal about lead, anyway? I used to eat lead paint chips awith lunch as a child and Ive turned out just fine.

@AstroChuck Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight.

@AstroChuck – Turned out just fine except that icon actually a full color, actual size and current picture of you, isn’t it.

Just like mine is of me. :-)

Why is lead being singled out?