John Edwards for President: ARCHIVAL MIRROR-A Six-Point Plan to Protect American Children from Dangerous Products

A Six-Point Plan to Protect American Children from Dangerous Products

"We cannot rely on industry to initiate voluntary recalls. We cannot have an administration that sits on the sidelines while multinational corporations cut corners. America's families and our children deserve better than this." -- John Edwards

With 12 million toys recalled this summer alone, it is clear now that the chain of children's product recalls are not isolated incidents. There is a crisis of quality in imported toys as the race to reduce foreign production costs has sacrificed quality and safety. The manufacturing standards in countries like China, from where nearly 80 percent of toys are imported, are not being enforced. The Bush administration's silence and inaction is inexcusable. American parents need to know that someone is looking out for their children. Warning labels telling parents to keep small magnets out of the hands of children aren't good enough when the magnets come loose as children play.

In the wake of yet another enormous recall of imported children's toys, Sen. John Edwards renewed his call for the Bush administration to take immediate steps to reduce the growing risk posed by unsafe trade and ensure the health and welfare of American consumers. Edwards called for concrete and common-sense steps, including independent third party testing, authority for temporary border detention of products containing paint or magnets and stronger enforcement powers for the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).

Edwards' six-point plan to address the risks posed by dangerous children's products and protect the health and safety of American children includes:

Requiring Independent Testing: Require manufacturers and private-label resellers to certify that the children's products they sell have been tested to meet U.S. safety standards by an independent third-party organization. Products that have not have been certified should be banned.
Authorizing Temporary Border Detentions of High-Risk Products: Until effective independent testing of all toys is in place, government must be able to take preemptive action. Congress should give the CPSC Consumer Products Safety Commission and Customs the authority to temporarily detain all shipments of toys containing paint or magnets that are not accompanied by any independent safety certification, and no detained shipments should be released from the port of entry until testing of a random sample demonstrates the products are safe. Just as the FDA was able to temporarily detain Chinese seafood, children's safety demands immediate action.
Putting the CPSC Back on the Side of Consumers: Investigative reports have revealed that senior CPSC officials have had their travel paid for by groups representing the industries they are supposed to regulate. The President should immediately ban any executive branch regulatory staff from accepting travel paid for by private industry. [Chicago Tribune, 5/5/2007]
Strengthening Penalties for Safety Violations: The wave of product recalls makes clear that current enforcement is not having the deterrent effect it should. Congress should increase the maximum civil fine to $20 million so that billion-dollar companies feel the impact when their products jeopardize children's health.
Enhancing the CPSC's Recall Authority: Under current law, the CPSC must give manufacturers 30 days to respond before making public statements that specific products pose a health hazard. With children's safety at stake, 30 days amounts to an eternity. Congress should tighten the recall laws to give the CPSC power to take swift action.
Providing the Resources Needed to Enforce the Law: Reviewing enhanced safety certifications and temporarily increasing levels of inspection will require increased resources. Congress should immediately appropriate the resources necessary for federal agencies to get the job done.

Recent incidents and reports that highlight the need for smarter, safer policies include:

August 2007: Mattel recalls 9 million Chinese-made toys because of toxic levels of lead paint and dangerous magnets.
July 2007: Fisher-Price recalls 967,000 plastic pre-school toys tainted with high levels of lead, made by a Chinese vendor.
June 2007: Approximately 900,000 tubes of Chinese toothpaste containing a poison used in some antifreeze products
June 2007: As many as 450,000 tires made in China were recalled after evidence that they could be subject to tread separation-- a problem that led to the nation's largest tire recall in 2000.
June 2007: The FDA issued an alert challenging imports of farm- raised seafood from China, after testing repeatedly found contamination from carcinogens and antibiotics.
June 2007: 1.5 million "Thomas & Friends" made in China are recalled because of toxic lead surface paint.
May 2007: A Chicago Tribune analysis of all lead recalls in the past 30 years since lead paint was banned in the U.S. finds the vast majority of 133 recalls involved Chinese-manufactured products.
March 2007: An estimated 3,500 pets died after eating pet food contaminated with melamine in China
March 2007: 21,000 Sky Ranger toy airplanes made in China are recalled after at least 45 explode in the vicinity of children.
February 2007: Hasbro recalls 1 million Easy-Bake ovens made in China; 77 children report burns after getting hands or fingers stuck.