Kildee Applauds Passage of Children’s Toy Safety Bill

Washington, D.C. - Congressman Dale E. Kildee (D-MI) today supported bipartisan legislation that would strengthen standards for lead in products made for children, tighten regulations on plastic-softeners suspected of damaging reproductive development and bolster the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). The House-Senate Conference Report of H.R. 4040, the Consumer Product Safety Modernization Act passed overwhelmingly by a 424-1 vote.

“This bill makes a priority the safety and health of our children. Good sense and reason prevail in this legislation as we recognize that any product to which a young child is exposed must be subject to the most rigorous scrutiny,” said Kildee, an original cosponsor of the Consumer Product Safety Modernization Act.

In 2007, Mattel, RC2 Corporation, Target and other importers of children’s products were collectively responsible for recalls of 20 million toys and children’s jewelry. Recalled toys included Sesame Street character figures Elmo and Oscar, Dora the Explorer, Thomas the Train, and Barbie Doll accessories. Press reports claimed that lead levels in lunchboxes tested as high as 9600 parts per million (ppm) while 600 ppm is the regulatory limit for lead in paint. 

The bill would strengthen regulations on allowable content of potentially harmful components in products intended for children and provides whistleblower protections for employees of manufacturers, labelers, retailers and distributors. Lead levels in products intended for children 12 and younger would be capped at 100 ppm in three years. H.R. 4040 also immediately bans from children’s toys 3 forms of plastic-softeners known as phtalates and would temporarily ban 3 additional compounds of the potentially harmful chemical.

To meet the new standards and ensure that the CPSC has the resources to fulfill its mission to protect consumers, the Act authorizes $626 million for the CPSC in fiscal years 2010 through 2014. The bill would also require timely and accurate reporting of information necessary to protect the public health.

The Senate must approve of the Conference Report before it is presented to the President. The President has indicated that he opposes a ban on phtalates but has not threatened a veto.