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Toy Safety

 

What's New

Signed Sealed Delivered: Safer Toys, Safer Kids

On August 14, 2008, President Bush signed a CALPIRG-backed law that overhauls the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).  The bi-partisan Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 will make consumer products safer by requiring that toys and infant products are tested before they are sold, and by banning toxic chemicals like lead and phthalates in toys. The bill also will create the first comprehensive publicly accessible consumer complaint database, give the CPSC the resources and authority it needs to protect the public, increase civil penalties that CPSC can assess against violators of product safety laws, and  protect whistleblowers who report product safety defects.

On February 9, 2009, many of the bill's safety standards went into effect. With our annual toy safety report and other efforts, CALPIRG will continue working to ensure manufacturers comply with the new law.

 

Overview

Our product safety net isn’t up to the job of protecting us from dangerous product. For one, America is facing a hyper-competitive, globalized marketplace, with enormous pressure to cut costs—and cut corners. And at the very moment that both corporate CEOs and top government officials should be demanding greater vigilance, we've seen regulations weakened or repealed and funding for watchdog agencies slashed. Just 20 years ago, there were twice as many staff at the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), the body charged with ensuring the safety of consumer goods. Funding at that agency is now at an all-time low. And the CPSC, along with other agencies led by administration appointees, is too willing to let companies call the shots.

High-profile recalls of food, drugs and consumer products has families wondering what else is slipping through the safety net. In 2007, 25 million toys were recalled because they were laced with lead or contained small, powerful magnets that could perforate a young child’s intestines. Before that  60 million pounds of pet food recalled because they were peppered with rat poison. Drug-maker like Merck were exposed for selling Vioxx even after their own clinical trials showed that the drug had lethally dangerous side effects. The drug ended up ending the lives of thousands after 2 million people were prescribed the drug
 
That’s why in 2007 CALPIRG, along with PIRG leaders in 23 other states, launched the Corporate Safety Challenge. Together, we're challenging CEOs to take action on product safety before major recalls occur. We're also working to challenge our government to set better standards, hold companies accountable, and put enough cops on the product safety beat to get the job done.

 

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