Lead - Protecting Children Just Got Dicey

Lead-safety advocates for children like Sue Gunderson, Executive Director of CLEARCorps, have been waiting for the rules of the Consumer Product Safety Commission [CPSC] to go into effect on February 10th.  These new rules put stricter limits on lead allowed in all products used by children 12 or under.  Those could range from toys to cribs to bicycles.  The rules also ban the sale of recalled products.  Sounded great?

Unfortunately, the rules can wind up negatively affecting one key group they were targeted to protect: Low-income children.  As a result, the situation is getting dicey. 

Today, in THE WALL STREET JOURNAL, Melanie Trottman reports that thrift shops - that is, the stores which sell used merchandise - will find it difficult or impossible to test items for the content of lead.  For one thing, such testing is beyond most of the stores's budgets.  For another, many products are donated and are one of a kind.  It's absurd to screen that one product for lead content to determine if it's above the level allowed.

Thrift shops through their trade group the National Association of Resale & Thrift Shops are seeking an exemption to the rules. They contend low-income people will be unable to purchase basics for children such as cribs and clothing.  This is at a time when more low-income and even middle-class shoppers can only afford to buy in thrift stores.

On the other hand, those who worked so hard to get these strict rules on the book cry foul at this kind of exemption.  In an exclusive interview CLEARCorps's Gunderson argued that the danger of lead to children is serious enough to warrant screening all products.  Essentially, an exemption would leave the children of low-income groups more vulnerable to lead and other toxins.

This is an issue entangled in emotion, well-intentioned public policy, and dire economic times.