Starting on August 14th, the new total lead content law for children’s products will go into effect. As a result of this change, products such as children’s toys will be affected. As of August 14th, the maximum amount of lead in these types of products will be limited to 100 parts per million. These new stipulations are part of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA). From the perspective of a Plantation Products Liability Injury Attorney, I am always in favor of any legislation that improves product safety. The only question mark was whether this would be detrimental to these businesses’ respective bottom lines.
However, the Consumer Product Safety Commission voted 3-2 that there was insufficient evidence that children’s products manufacturers could not meet these new standards and remain at a competitive price point. These lead limitations have been a work in process since the CPSIA was passed in 2008. The legally permissible amount of lead per parts per million has been decreasing over time as outlined in the initial legislation. As a Plantation Injury Lawyer, I hope that this can continue to reduce the amount of injuries that children suffer from unsafe products. Yet as I mentioned, it is a difficult balance because we don’t want to hinder a manufacturer’s ability to produce a product at a marketable price point.
It will take some time to see how this new limit affects product testing costs once those regulations change later this year as well. As a Plantation Products Liability Injury Lawyer, it goes without saying how important it is to prevent children from being exposed to unhealthy amounts of lead. Ultimately, that is the goal of this entire process and only time will tell if the new lead standards can help reduce the number of injuries, and hopefully the new lead content law accomplishes just that.
The Schulman Law Group is a personal injury law firm located in Weston, Florida that is committed to representing personal injury victims, including victims of Plantation, Florida product liability accidents. Please visit our website at www.schulaw.com. For a free consultation, please call us at (877) LAW-0444 or email us.
