FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                    Contact: Adriana Surfas
Tuesday, December 11, 2007                         (202) 225-3661  

With Ineffective CPSC, Children’s Safety Dependent on State of Residence

Washington , D.C.  – Congresswoman Rosa L. DeLauro ( Conn. -3) issued the following statement regarding the Illinois-specific recall of the Fisher Price toy blood pressure cuff, part of the classic medical kit.  A Consumer Report investigation found high lead levels embedded in the red plastic arm band as well as on the surface of the arm band, which could easily rub off on a child playing with the toy.

“The safety of the toys our children play with should not be determined by the state you live in.  Unfortunately, as we have seen with the case of the Fisher-Price blood pressure cuff, this is quickly becoming the reality. 

“The law in Illinois bans lead in all materials for children’s toys, while federal regulations limit lead levels in paint.  As a result, Fisher Price is content to limit its voluntary recall of this product to store shelves in Illinois , leaving children in other states at risk.  Unfortunately, the Consumer Product Safety Commission – whose mission is to keep harmful products out of the hands of our children – is also satisfied with this course of action, even though the potential for long-term harm to our children from lead exposure is not limited solely to lead-tainted paint. 

“With the health of our children at stake, we need to urgently address this issue. That is why I have introduced legislation to prevent tainted toys from entering the marketplace. Our children should not pay the price for a patchwork of state laws and an ineffective Consumer Product Safety Commission, which is further hindered by its Chair, Nancy Nord, who has a reckless disinterest in embracing the regulatory mission of the agency.”

As an advocate for strengthening and improving the Consumer Product Safety Commission, DeLauro has introduced one of the only comprehensive pieces of reform legislation in the House, The Safety Assurance For Every (SAFE) Consumer Product Act, which would effectively ban lead in all materials used to make children’s products.  Specifically, the legislation would reduce the federal lead standard to 40 parts per million on all children’s product material from the current standard of 600 ppm, which applies only to lead paint in toys.  

Many components of the bill have been incorporated into comprehensive product safety legislation moving through the House.  With over 160 bipartisan cosponsors, it enjoys the support of consumer advocacy groups including the Consumer’s Union, American Academy of Pediatricians, U.S. PIRG, the National Consumers League, and the Consumer Federation of America, among others.

  ###

www.house.gov/delauro