What in the world is this Consumer Product Safety Act I've read about?

[Karie]

I'm over on the Apologia elementary science board, and I can't quite figure out what this is, but they're saying that this will potentially put out businesses that supply science products all the way down to putting out of business those who write and sell curriculum. I can't wrap my brain completely around this. Can someone give me more info? From what I'm understanding, this is the govt's attempt to control the amount of lead in products for children but that it's gone completely haywire! That would take ebay completely out of production.

 

Help me understand this from a home schooler's perspective, Please!!

[Karie]

Just a follow-up in the LA Times:

 

Barring a reprieve, regulations set to take effect next month could force thousands of clothing retailers and thrift stores to throw away trunkloads of children’s clothing.

 

The law, aimed at keeping lead-filled merchandise away from children, mandates that all products sold for those age 12 and younger — including clothing — be tested for lead and phthalates, which are chemicals used to make plastics more pliable. Those that haven’t been tested will be considered hazardous, regardless of whether they actually contain lead.

 

“They’ll all have to go to the landfill,†said Adele Meyer, executive director of the National Assn. of Resale and Thrift Shops.

 

The new regulations take effect Feb. 10 under the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, which was passed by Congress last year in response to widespread recalls of products that posed a threat to children, including toys made with lead or lead-based paint.

 

I guess I was reading that children's textbooks would have to be tested as well??

[Karie]

Never mind, there's a ton of stuff on this on the general board!!