Kathleen, wouldn’t simply adding “may contain lead” to products solve the problem you are referring to. Then the responsibility is on the consumer (parents) to decide if they would like to take the risk.

I agree all vendors need to strive for complete safety but where is the consumer’s responsibility in this?

We allow cigarettes to be sold without certifying every batch of every component of every product of every variation in every cigarette company is SAFE for consumers. They are allowed to simply add a disclaimer to their product. Why can’t it be the same with this?

Karen

Just my humble opinion.

Jan

Maybe Congress knows the secret to alchemy and they just haven’t shared it with us:)

That said, the problem with a lot of independent crafters is that they buy inputs they presume are safe at retail and affix or apply them to inherently lead free products. These are often trinkets and notions or iron decals and paints that contain both lead and phthalates. The issue is, they think that because they made these items with all the good intentions in the world and they bought the decorations at retail, that these are safe -but it’s not necessarily true.

Unfortunately, there are existing rules and regulations that precede the CPSIA that independents have likewise ignored such as those addressing drawcords, choking hazards and flammability. Many think those only apply to “big guys” but there’s never been an exemption based on size. Moreover, many (including some of the biggest opponents to CPSIA) produce items that are very dangerous. I won’t link publicly but I will send you a link to examples. Lastly, most (MOST) independents ignore existing labeling laws such as those that fall under the auspices of the FTC.

The overarching concern here is that for the first time, independents are being brought into the fold, I’d argue due to the changes in commerce owing to technology advances. Previously there was a sort of vetting process with retailers acting as enforcers -albeit informally. For example, prior to the onset of direct to consumer selling on the internet, an independent had fewer options to sell their products. Initially they might take an order from a few local stores but growing beyond that, a retailer would balk saying, “where’s your RN, these aren’t legally labeled” etc so the independent would realize they needed to become more professional and would move to comply. Moving further up the chain to larger stores, the “enforcement” increased to include drawcords, flammability etc. However, now that producers can sell to consumers who don’t know these rules and are in no position to enforce them, the regulations we already have are not being uniformly applied. Iow, there are many who think that the CPSIA is actually a blanket strategy to exact a level of professionalism in sewn products that doesn’t exist, to cover the changes in retailing that internet technology has provided opportunities for. The question becomes, how do we encourage independents to become more professional? It’s a question we grapple with a lot on my site and it’s created a great deal of resentment among casual producers. Somehow, we cannot convey to them that professionalism has NOTHING to do with size.

The issue remains, if we cannot convince our peers (even tho they don’t consider themselves that they are our peers, and they ARE) they need to become more professional, the CPSIA is an attempt to convince them they need to be.

Of course not. We’re balding men in top hats and monocles, rolling around on the piles of money we’ve made by replacing organic cotton in our products with pure lead!

Because, you know, I would bet with near 100% certainty that there are not any small and home businesses stock-piling lead so they can sneak them into children’s products to poison them.

Dang, someone has guessed my nefarious plan! Now I’ll have to figure out what to do with that big pile of lead in my basement… hmmm… Ah! Breakfast cereal! (did I say that out loud?)

Sadly, as it makes sense, it will never fly.

The incestuous Washingtonian culture is rarely, if ever, open to reason.

Elmer Hurlstone