International safety meeting in DC this week

This week, product safety experts from around the globe will gather for a weeklong symposium in Washington DC. The International Consumer Product Health and Safety Organization (ICPHSO) is unique in that it brings together experts from consumer organizations (Rachel Weintraub of Consumer Federation of America is the group's outgoing President), industry, testing labs, regulatory bodies and others interested in product safety.

The meeting starts Monday with International Day, looking at recall effectiveness and information sharing internationally. Tuesday's workshops include those on social responsibility and business ethics, environmental and chemical issues, new research and more. Wednesday is "CPSC" day -- invaluable for those interested in CPSC's current activities or implementation of CPSIA -- and the conference ends Thursday with a Consumer Product Safety Law Seminar and CPSC compliance workshop for beginners.

KID will be attending -- check our Twitter or Facebook pages for updates.

A pledge for greater cooperation at a U.S-China product safety summit

On October 21 Inez Tenenbaum, Chairman of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), delivered a keynote address at the biennial product safety summit held between the United States and China. It marked the fourth time that CPSC and AQSIC (China's national standards and inspections body) have met to enhance intergovernmental cooperation and to improve the efficacy of joint regulation.

The theme of this year's summit, "promoting best practices by Chinese manufacturers and U.S. importers to maximize product safety", underlies CPSC's approach to create a partnership based on communication and mutual accountability. "We must work as global partners", said Tenenbaum, "to create a systematic approach to ensuring product safety, from raw materials to the finished product, from the toy factory in Shanghai, to the toy importer in San Francisco, to the toy store in Seattle."

Tenenbaum placed special on emphasis on toy safety (lead paint in particular), noting the "new paradigm for standards" that emerged with the passage of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (CPSIA). She cited the stricter lead paint limits (90 ppm) and the mandatory child product testing program enacted under the new law.

There's reason to believe that the American-Chinese relationship may bear fruit. According to Tenenbaum, toy recalls decreased from 80 to 40 per year between the 2008-2009 fiscal years. Of these, lead violations decreased from 40 to 16 per year during that time period. It also appears that AQSIC (China's regulatory body) has become more determined in promoting and enforcing product safety. They've closed thousands of non-complying Chinese manufacturers, and have become more willing to exchange information and to promote America's "best practices" throughout the manufacturing community.

But all of this is just the beginning. Tenenbaum reiterates the U.S. goal "to have no toy recalls and no lead paint violations," and adds that "we are certainly moving in the right direction."

Tenenbaum will continue her diplomatic efforts to bolster international cooperation this Wednesday in Toronto. There she will speak at the International Consumer Product Health and Safety Organization's annual symposium and discuss ways that Canada and the U.S. can better harmonize product safety standards.

Update: View Chairman Tenenbaum's ICPHSO address in Toronto.

When shopping, probably best to avoid metal jewelry

Over the past few years millions of rings, necklaces and other jewelry have been recalled because of lead content or paint. Yet a recent study by the Center for Environmental Health finds that much of that still on the shelves is still tainted with lead.

New regulations to limit lead content in children's products, including jewelry, goes into effect in February. At that time, manufacturers will have to certify that the product has been tested by an independent third party laboratory and is free of lead (or under 600ppm at least).

But in the meantime, as the CEH study shows, it is likely that jewelry currently for sale may still contain lead. Perhaps books would make a better gift this holiday season....

CPSC provides link to CPSIA activity

CPSC has provided a single web entry page for all their documents and information on the implementation of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008. Here you can see the latest proposed rules, ask a question or read the law.

CPSC hosts all day meeting on CPSIA

Yesterday, the CPSC held an all day meeting with stakeholders to explain their plans for implementation of the new Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act. While the room was dominated by manufacturers and their lawyers, most major consumer organizations also attended to hear the presentation. CPSC has an ambitious schedule of rulemaking and deadlines for new requirements, some as early as next week. Many questions remain, including what the timeline for new standards for juvenile products will be and what manufacturers can do with current inventory that violates the new law. CPSC acknowledged that under their current plans, consumers will have no way to distinguish products certified as safe by the manufacturer and those that aren't. KID calls on the CPSC, retailers and manufacturers to address this problem so consumers aren't unaware of the safety risks of the products they are buying.

Got a question about the new law and how it affects children's safety? You can ask CPSC through a new form on their website.