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(HealthNewsDigest.com) – This fall, it should be a little safer for parents to shop for back-to-school products and holiday gifts for the children – thanks to new federal laws and regulations.
The recently enacted Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, or CPSIA, puts tougher obligations on anyone who makes, imports, distributes or sells consumer products, particularly those designed for children. The new law, which carries stiff penalties for violations, is by far the most sweeping consumer protection update since the U.S. Consider Product Safety Commission, or CPSC, was created nearly four decades ago.
The new regulations apply across the board to all children’s products used in the home, in schools or during recreation – so everything now on store shelves, from children’s shoes and teething rings to baseball bats, books and bicycles, must now comply with the new standards.
Consumers can expect to find products:
With product tracking labels. Wonder where that stuffed animal was made? Now you’ll be able to know as manufacturers and importers must label their goods so that a consumer can see who made the product, where and when and other pertinent details.
That comply with new mandatory toy safety standards. The new CPSIA strengthens testing and labeling requirements for choking hazards, batteries, toxic substances and other common problems.
With lower lead content levels. As part of a three-year phase-down of lead content, the CPSIA dramatically reduced allowable lead levels in children’s products.
Without phthalates. A chemical used to make plastics more flexible and durable, phthalates have been linked to numerous health issues – but consumers will no longer find them in most toys or childcare items.
That have met third-party testing standards. The CPSIA mandates that all manufacturers and importers must test and verify – using independent, third-party labs – that their products meet certain consumer product safety standards.
With appropriate warnings in advertising. If a product poses a choking hazard for children under 3, manufacturers and retailers must take the additional step of issuing warnings in their print and Internet advertising.
The new law places substantially higher fines on consumer product companies that violate the Act. Each violation could cost anywhere from $8,000 to $100,000 to a maximum penalty of $15 million – a nearly eight-fold increase over previous fines. With the new regulations already in place, consumers should find better and safer products on store shelves this fall.
About the author: Christopher J. Predko is a partner at Warner Norcross & Judd LLP, an AmLaw 200 firm and one of the largest in Michigan. He chairs the firm’s Consumer Product Safety Group. www.wnj.com
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