citymama
10-23-2008, 04:47 PM
Excerpts from Wall Street Journal article on sales of toys containing pthalates. Full article at: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122472242723860917.html (subscriber-only)
Toys Containing Banned Plastics Still on Market
In February, 25,000 rubber ducks in Craig Wolfe's inventory will be illegal to sell because they contain chemicals called phthalates, which some studies indicate harm early childhood development.
So the toy maker is liquidating what he can, discounting stock to stores that can place big orders. He hasn't destroyed the novelty ducks, he says, because he believes phthalates are safe. "We've never had any problems," he says.
Some provisions in the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008:
Phthalates will be banned from children's products.
Products must be tested for safety before they are sold.
Consumers will have access to a database to learn about product complaints.
Violators of safety standards could face more significant civil penalties.The flood of ducks hitting the market now, along with other toys that contain phthalates, is an unintended consequence of a law aimed at avoiding potential hazards precisely like this one. [….]
Consumer advocates complain that the law has ended up sanctioning a grace period that allows toy makers to sell off soon-to-be banned toys, rather than forcing them to dispose of them. "This holiday season is going to be 'buyer beware,'" says Elizabeth Hitchcock of U.S. Public Interest Research Group.
Consumers will see "toys marked down at a discount without knowing that they contain a substance that will be banned in February," says Ms. Hitchcock. That could "present a tremendous danger," she says, because the lower prices will be all the more appealing to shoppers during an economic downturn.
Toys Containing Banned Plastics Still on Market
In February, 25,000 rubber ducks in Craig Wolfe's inventory will be illegal to sell because they contain chemicals called phthalates, which some studies indicate harm early childhood development.
So the toy maker is liquidating what he can, discounting stock to stores that can place big orders. He hasn't destroyed the novelty ducks, he says, because he believes phthalates are safe. "We've never had any problems," he says.
Some provisions in the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008:
Phthalates will be banned from children's products.
Products must be tested for safety before they are sold.
Consumers will have access to a database to learn about product complaints.
Violators of safety standards could face more significant civil penalties.The flood of ducks hitting the market now, along with other toys that contain phthalates, is an unintended consequence of a law aimed at avoiding potential hazards precisely like this one. [….]
Consumer advocates complain that the law has ended up sanctioning a grace period that allows toy makers to sell off soon-to-be banned toys, rather than forcing them to dispose of them. "This holiday season is going to be 'buyer beware,'" says Elizabeth Hitchcock of U.S. Public Interest Research Group.
Consumers will see "toys marked down at a discount without knowing that they contain a substance that will be banned in February," says Ms. Hitchcock. That could "present a tremendous danger," she says, because the lower prices will be all the more appealing to shoppers during an economic downturn.