Aug. 1 – US: Chemicals in Plastic Toys

From SeattlePI.com:

New rules approved Thursday night by the U.S. Senate would dramatically reduce the amount of lead and phthalates (a chemical used to make plastics softer) allowed in children’s products. The bill already passed by the House now goes to President Bush…

Part of the deal with the new federal rules is a boost in the regulatory strength of the Consumer Product Safety Commission. The Washington Post characterized it as “the most significant expansion of the (CPSC) since it was created in 1973.”

The regulations require toy manufacturers, here and abroad, to have their toys independently tested for toxic chemicals and an online database would be created so consumers could find out about complaints or accidents involving toys, cribs and non-kid products. The new rules, assuming Bush approves of them, won’t go into affect soon enough to impact the toys for sale Christmas 2008.

For more information, click on the above link.