I normally don't blog twice on the same day, but this issue is just way too important! If we don't fight this new CPSC & CPSIA law, all small businesses in USA will be push off the cliff! I saw this shocking news on Etsy forum, please read this great topic here. Here are just some of the discussion.
"Did you know that by FEB 9,2009, if any of your products can be used by children 12 years old or younger that you will need to get CPSIA certified testing on the content of your materials to make sure the lead and phthalates levels fall below the CPSC new standards and have labeling with the lab testing certication # and specific batch code attached to each of the products? This testing startes at around $300 per batch. A batch is considered to be a group of a single product that all where made using the same material material lot. In other words if you knit several hats and the yarn used in each has a different production code or dye lot or from different manufactors, even when they look identical, then each single hat is a batch."
"testing every component as it is produced or imported to the USA would be ideal but since the CPSIA doesn't know which items are going to be used by children at that point the would rather wait until it going to be put in as part of child specific product to wait for testing.
BTW is there some magical happenings at age 13 that makes us all immune to lead, phthalates, and the other heavy metals mentioned in the law. Does our body suddenly reject these elements & compounds in a way that someone under 12 does not.If a young women is pregnant and gets lead posioning from something doesn't the baby also get exposed? So if they are going to test things why not mandate testing, then test everything that is produced right from the start because theres no way of knowing exactly which products will end up in a child's hands or bodies eventually."
"They have to be pulled off the shelf for testing & do you think that the big multinationals are going to take all of those toys, clothes, accessories, furniture, etc. back to do the testing. Of course they aren't these lost inventory items might get a big box retailer credit for future orders from the manufacture but they will most likely wind up in YOUR LOCAL LANDFILL leaching their lead & heavy metals content into the soil in your area. Actually I wouldn't be surprised to see just before Christmas these huge blow out sales to move that inventory out of the stores and into consumers homes just so the stores don't have to worry about having the items hauled to the dump."
Base on this, not only small businesses, crafters, but also Ebay, Etsy, goodwill, sulvation army, and craftshows will all be forced to close shop. And because of the big manufactures won't swallow that cost I believe, all related products price will go up crazily. Are we playing monopoly here? After all small businesses closeup, we can only buy products made by small amount of big brands, which means everybody will have limited choice for children clothes, toys, school supplies. Why don't we just all wear uniforms and use pens and books produced by the government! It's the small businesses and creative crafters adding wonderful sparkles to our life. OK, let's just kill them all? Protecting our children are very important, please don't get me wrong here. But I think they should mandate testing all material manufactures, like those who make fabric, yarn, jewelry finding, etc! So everyone who use tested materials can just provide testing license# or whatever proof came with the materials. Manufactures use huge batch raw materials to make their products, they can afford the batch tests. And this will end up cheaper for consumers as well. And personally I think batch test only make sense that way. They are exempt because they have no idea what their materials going to be used for, adults or children? But can anyone guarantee that products meant for adults will only be used by adults? Who can control the kids not to touch those items? If kids can touch a car, a piece of furniture, mommy's jewelry, big brother's toy, isn't it safe to test all products? For a small crafter like us, we make lots of one-of-a-kind items, we cannot afford to have every single one of them tested. This law will push all small businesses off the cliff, create monopoly, and destroy already shaky economy! Also think about all the "illegal" products that going to our landfill! We are poisoning our own earth! Those lead and other toxics will be absorbed by the plants, pass through the foodchain, and come back to us again! What are we supposed to do then? Dump all those food back to landfill again, and complete this weird circle? How about the great "reduce, reuse, recycle and repurpose"!
We all have to fight! Fight to keep our business and our life! Fight to protect our children, ourselves, and our environment in more sensible ways! Please spread the words, write to everyone you know, your congressmen, the president, Oprah, baby magazines, and sign the petition. This is just wrong!
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