As all eyes keenly followed the crafting and passing of the Stimulus Bill, few Americans noticed the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) go into effect on February 10, 2009. The CPSIA, passed last year following several well-publicized children's product recalls, requires third-party laboratory testing of everything intended for children. All products, from jewelry to books, must contain suitable levels of lead and phthalates. Unfortunately, the CPSIA applies to all children's products and therein lies the rub.
The CPSIA's greatest flaw is its hindrance of two major instrustries: resale and cottage. Resale stores (consignment shops and thrift stores) cannot afford to pay for third-party testing on all the children's products they sell. Many resale stores specializing in toys and baby products have already shuttered their doors. Also affected by the CPSIA is the cottage industry of home crafters and small businesses devoted to producing handmade children's items. Many of these businesses can be found on Etsy.com and other websites. Both of these industries are much needed in these poor economic times. Their loss impacts many consumers and impedes economic growth.
There is, unfortunately, another victim of the CPSIA. All children's books published prior to 1985 (when lead levels were applied to the book publishing industry) cannot be sold. Many libraries and resale stores have already begun to toss pre-1985 books in their dumpsters. The inability to resell pre-1985 books also strikes online sellers, most of whom are mom-and-pop businesses. For booklovers, it all seems too much like Fahrenheit 451.
It is a shame, in this age of the internet when knowledge is so available, that American citizens are routinely unable or uninterested in reading congressional bills before they are passed. It is possible, however, to make our voices heard when we are subjected to overreaching laws, such as the CPSIA. We can now email our Senators and Representatives quite easily; I have done so and I hope you will too. It may be too late for many businesses and books, but there is hope if we all respond to this poorly written act quickly.
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