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U.S. PIRG Consumer Blog
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July 17, 2008
CPSC Conference to meet today
 The CPSC Reform Act conference meets today (announcement). Our position is simple. Protect kids. Here's one way to look at it, through the eyes of kids. The committee has completed 21 non-controversial items, but at least four PIRG priorities remain. Here's our statement today on those issues:
In today’s conference meeting, U.S. PIRG urges the conferees to accept measures to:
Place emerging toy hazards, such as magnets, under the new law’s protections.
Ban toxic phthalates from children’s products. These chemicals used as plastic softeners have been linked to developmental disorders. Safe alternatives are available.
Create an online public database of potential toy hazards. Both the FDA and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) allow consumers to search complaints about potentially hazardous products, even those that have not been recalled. Only the CPSC does not. Including this provision is a critical reform.
Ensure that states can protect their citizens. The current CPSC law already greatly restricts what states can do. Yet, the special industry lobby is making eleventh hour demands to create a new, more onerous limit on state action. That is unacceptable.
We call on the conferees to reject special-interest demands to remove or weaken key provisions of the bill, so that the final legislation sent to the president truly protects America’s children.
Posted by Ed Mierzwinski at July 17, 2008 07:11 AM
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