[...] of consumption of lead in electronic goods is low compared to the potentially high testing costs.  As noted on Popehat.com, no child was injured in the lead paint scare of [...]

[...] treatment includes more from John Holbo at Crooked Timber, several posts at Popehat, Wacky Hermit on Thoreau and unjust laws, Charles Kuffner/Off the Kuff, Scholars [...]

[...] who voted for the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act needs to go under the knife. It looks like Ron Paul will be the only member of the House of [...]

[...] Popehat – The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act: All Baby, No Bathwater [...]

But there was a child who died- he swallowed a lead charm and nobody discovered it until he was too sick to survive.

It’s a tragedy- but it wasn’t his charm- it belonged to another child, and the boy who died is said to have had some developmental delays (as does oneof my children)- the lead limits apply only to jewelry for children under 12. This child could have swallowed a charm belonging to a teenaged babysitter or his mother just as easily.
This law isn’t going to protect children.

[...] bloggers who Olson called out have also answered the call.  But it’s worth highlighting Patrick’s response (Patrick is, I believe, also known as SSFC of the now-defunct Social Services for Feral Children; [...]

[...] revisit CPSIA today was even more successful than I hoped. Posts from Amy Alkon at Advice Goddess, Patrick at Popehat, John Schwenkler, Mark Thompson at the wonderfully named League of Ordinary Gentlemen, and Eve [...]

[...] Great response! Posts from Amy Alkon at Advice Goddess, Patrick at Popehat, John Schwenkler, Mark Thompson at the wonderfully named League of Ordinary Gentlemen, and Eve [...]

“Dear [Linus]:

Thank you for contacting me regarding certain provisions in the Consumer Product Safety Commission Improvement Act (CPSCIA). I appreciate hearing your thoughts and welcome the opportunity to respond.

As you know, CPSIA mandates that children’s products with more than 600 parts per million (ppm) of lead cannot be sold after February 10, 2009, and that level will be reduced to 300 ppm on August 14, 2009. This law is retroactive and applies to all items currently in inventory, and requires that domestic manufacturers and importers certify that children’s products made after February 10 meet these safety standards, though certification requirements do not apply to sellers of used children’s products.

As you are aware, some small business owners have voiced concerns about what these requirements will mean for their bottom lines, particularly with regard to the costly certification requirements and the prohibitions on selling anything in inventory that exceeds the lead limit.

I am committed to protecting the health and safety of Americans and support efforts to enhance the safety of consumer products on store shelves. At the same time, it is important that we target our efforts toward the most effective ends and work with all involved to minimize any unintended impacts of these enhanced measures. Please rest assured that I will continue to work vigorously to ensure consumer safety without compromising the well-being of American small businesses.

Again, thank you for contacting me. Please feel free to contact me in the future on this or other matters of interest to you. For more information about the issues before the U.S. Senate as well as news releases, photos, and other items of interest, please visit my Senate website, http://crapo.senate.gov.”

Interesting, no?