A Letter about Lead Testing

Hi,
I am writing concerning the new CSPIA legislation that was passed on Aug 14, 2008 and goes into effect on Feb 10, 2009 concerning the ban on lead and other substances in products for children under age 12. While I commend the overall goal of keeping our kids safe, I feel that the wording and implementation of this law will have a serious economic impact on small businesses who strive to produce safe and handmade products.

I am a stay at home mom with an autistic son and I have been able to make ends meet enough to stay home with him by designing and selling handmade clothing for toddler girls. My clothing is all 100% cotton and is inherently lead free. However, now I will be unable to maintain my family's income because as a seller of one of a kind items I will not be able to afford the required testing on my products.

It seems to me that testing for lead in children's products should be done similarly to how we test for drunk drivers. Do we make every single person take a breathalyzer test at their own expense and post the results in their dashboard every time they get in a car? Instead of the guilty til proven innocent mentality of this new CPSIA law that requires redundant testing of every part at the enormous expensive of the manufacturers, how about just making a law that all children's products can't contain lead. Now every manufacturer big and small is subject to spot checks by the government- like those State Patrol roadblocks they use to test for DUI's on certain days/time when they suspect many people will have been drinking. Just think of all the new government jobs that would be created making a whole new division to oversee and direct all this testing.

That way the government can actually go after those toys that were causing the problem with out putting all of the rest of us whose products DO NOT CONTAIN LEAD in the first place out of business. By making the penalties very steep for offenders the government can recoup any expense of testing all the rest of us. Put those companies who have hazardous stuff in their products out of business and help the rest of us who are making safe products continue to flourish!

Thank you very much for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,
A Mom Trying To Keep Her Kids Out Of Day Care