For the Children’s Sake

Posted by Valerie on April 4, 2009

It would be good if ALL manufacturers took steps to limit potentially harmful substances in their products, but if we do not phase in changes in a reasonable, measured way and if we do not create exemptions for thrift stores and resellers, children will be HURT.

Thrift stores all over America are currently THROWING AWAY coats, boots, hats, and mittens because they are afraid that offering those products will result in fines that would destroy them.

They cannot afford to test, which we know that the law does not explicitly require for them, but they feel that they also cannot afford not to know what they are selling.

Really, let’s look at the record. To the best of our collective knowledge *no* child has ever been poisoned by an article of clothing, but we can easily imagine that it will be very, very difficult for low and middle income parents to get adequate, affordable used clothing for their children this next winter.

My local Goodwill normally sells every children’s winter coat that they stock. Now, they are throwing away most of these coats. How many can they throw away today before some kids will suffer this next winter as a result?

How terribly sad it is that in removing an extremely remote risk from lead-in-clothing, we’ve very likely created a higher risk of injury from cold exposure.

Seven months from now, I predict that we will have children who can’t go to school because their parents can’t find affordable used coats for them at thrift stores. I predict that we will have children with frostbitten toes because their parents can’t find used winter boots and can’t afford new ones.

We can’t think only in terms of business vs. consumer–as if that’s the real equation. We have to think in terms of the children. Winter cold protection is only one issue. There are others that clearly,genuinely affect health and safety. WE NEED TO THINK: WHAT DO CHILDREN OF ALL INCOME LEVELS NEED–AND HOW WILL THEY BE ABLE TO OBTAIN THOSE THINGS UNDER THIS NEW LEGISLATION?

If we think in this way, we will discover that CPSIA needs more work FOR THE CHILDREN’S SAKE. Children will suffer if some adults do not swallow some pride, step up to the plate and work harder to make changes that our children really need.

The truth is that children’s businesses and consumer groups are both on the side of children. In fact, most owners and employees of children’s businesses are, to one degree or another, consumers of children’s products. How do we divide ourselves from ourselves?

We can AND WE MUST cooperate for the sake of making the changes that America’s children, especially America’s low-income children, really need.

Do we really need to rush lead-free bicycle tire valves to market, assuming that we can even make such a thing, merely in the interest of consistency? Do we really need to insist that bicycles be made from virgin steel, rather than recycled steel, using a wasteful, environmentally challenging process that will not improve children’s health but will simply make bicycles the sole property of privileged children?

I really don’t think so. I believe that we can create legislation that effectively encourages the ongoing use of risk-based assessment and takes compassionate consideration of the fullest possible range of risks and needs of America’s children.