Big CPSIA news

I'm sure many of you have already heard the latest update from the Consumer Product Safety Commission, but I would love to be bearer of good news if you haven't. On January 30, the CPSC granted a one year stay on the lead-testing requirements under the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act. You can read the full text of the release here. There are a few exceptions, including:

"The stay does not apply to:

Four requirements for third-party testing and certification of certain children’s products subject to:

• The ban on lead in paint and other surface coatings effective for products made after December 21, 2008;
  
• The standards for full-size and non full-size cribs and pacifiers effective for products made after January 20, 2009;
  
• The ban on small parts effective for products made after February 15, 2009; and
  
• The limits on lead content of metal components of children’s jewelry effective for products made after March 23, 2009"

Also, if your product is found to contain lead, then you are still liable. This is still good news for the handmade community. I know the collective hope is that, within a year, the Commission and Congress will take all our concens into consideration and rewrite the law in such a way that it protects all consumers (us, too!) without crippling cottage industries.

In covering this issue, the Tulsa-based Fox affiliate (Fox 23, or channel 5 for those of you with cable) contacted Oklahoma seller Dody, AKA Spazspun, once again for her reaction. Back in December, the same station ran a piece on how CPSIA would prove detrimental to Dody and her husband, who create handmade items from things that naturally cannot contain lead (wool and wood). You can still view the story here on the Web site. I want to commend Dody once again for taking such great initiative on this important issue. She wrote letters, organized other sellers to rail against this law, and has really been a mouthpiece for the handmade community. Way to go, hot mama! Thank you for all you do!