2.02.2009

in case you hadn't heard...

the consumer product safety awareness act has been postponed. the original enactment date would have been just a week from now--february 10th. a year-long "stay of enforcement" has been enacted instead: 

Significant to makers of children’s products, the vote by the Commission provides limited relief from the testing and certification requirements which go into effect on February 10, 2009 for new total lead content limits (600 ppm), phthalates limits for certain products (1000 ppm), and mandatory toy standards, among other things. Manufacturers and importers – large and small – of children’s products will not need to test or certify to these new requirements, but will need to meet the lead and phthalates limits, mandatory toy standards and other requirements.
this enactment is much alike the one that was given to reseller's of children's products in january--and no doubt better than the proposed alternative. still, it places responsibility in the hands of the crafter or reseller--not the original manufacturer of parts & pieces. 

there's of eloquently written information on the issue here

i suppose it's entirely possible to feel victorious and defeated all at once. after all, despite this last minute save for handmade, serious issues in the toy industry still stand. it's a shame that things of this nature are even a concern--shouldn't we be able to walk into a store, choose a toy, and not have to worry about whether or not that toy is toxic? but shouldn't we also be able to purchase toys from people who care about their craft? why can't we have each of these scenarios without sacrificing the other?

rhetorical questions always seem so impassioned, don't they?

by the way, lucy's favorite toy of the moment is a miniature tin bucket that her friend's mommy picked up at a thrift store. it doesn't light up or sing songs or sport cartoon characters down the sides. it just sits there, and she can put things in it and wave it around in the air, and, on occasion, throw it so that it makes a glorious bang wherever it lands. i'm just sayin'. 





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