Toy safety key issue in new bill

Indiana’s toy shelves saw 61 products recalled in the 2007 fiscal year, which ran from Oct. 1, 2006 to Sept. 30, 2007. The recalls required more than 25 million toys to be removed, 3.8 million of which were due to the potential for lead poisoning alone, said Patty Davis, spokesperson for the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.\nAs a result of the toy recalls, the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection instated House Resolution 4040, which calls for the improvement of the effectiveness of toy recalls and the safety of toys. Proponents of the bill hope it will protect children from dangerous toys. \n“The H.R. 4040 makes standards much stricter on lead and potentially toxic materials in toys,” said Katie Moreau, press secretary for congressman Baron Hill. “Since many products are now coming from over seas, the Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection committee wants to step up their oversight capabilities.”\nH.R. 4040 allows more funding for the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and better staff for the program, Moreau said. The funding will help provide better technology, such as a new tracking system to monitor the effectiveness of recalls.\nThe Consumer Product Safety Commission is a government-based program that sets the standards and organizes recalls, Moreau said. Companies have an obligation to report recalls to the commission. \nDavis stressed that toy recalls are not a problem just during the holiday season.\n “It is important every single day of the year that people are aware of recalls,” Davis said. “Defective products are not limited to the holidays. They happen all year long.”\nDavis said she recommends that parents visit the commission’s Web site to do an inventory of toy recalls in their toy box. \n “If (a parent) finds one, they should act immediately by taking that toy away from their child,” Davis said. “It could literally save a child’s life.”\nDavis said the commission currently has 241,000 people on an e-mail list to receive recall announcements, but the group is aiming for 1 million people.\n“It is much easier to get products off shelves than to get through to consumers,” Davis said. “This is a great way to do so.”\nWhen any product is recalled, it is immediately removed from the shelves and a notice is put up in the store for a minimum of 120 days, Davis said. Part of the commission’s job is to publicize every recall.\n“I’ve heard horror stories where people talk about the difficulties they’ve had getting recalls off the shelves in other states,” said Dave McCormick, director of Indiana Lead and Healthy Homes Program at the Indiana Department of Health. “We just haven’t had that problem here. Retailers in Indiana do an excellent job of getting recalled products off the shelves.”\nDavis said toy recalls have been talked about more in the news because inspection has been stepped up. \n “Parents need to be aware hat toys that are currently on toy shelves have gone through more scrutiny and inspection than ever before,” he said. \nBut the U.S. Subcommittee of Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection, does not agree that it is doing everything it can to prevent \nrecalls, Moreau said.\n “The current director of the CPSC has been very hesitant to step up,” Moreau said, referring to the CPSC’s obligation to keep toys safe. “Oftentimes parents are finding out too late that their toys aren’t safe. Testing standards haven’t been all that effective in recent years.”\nThrough the H.R. 4040, the committee hopes to make the process for recalls more efficient. A list of all recalled items can be found on http://recalls.gov.