Answer: The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (CPSIA) was passed by U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Bush on Aug. 14, 2008. CPSIA is designed to allow The U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) to better regulate the safety of products made and imported for sale in the U.S. CPSIA also contains regulations that are intended to make products for children under age 12 safer by requiring manufacturers and importers to show that these products do not have harmful levels of lead and phthalates.
Nearly every product intended for children under age 12 that will be sold in the U.S. is affected by CPSIA. This can include used and vintage products. The U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) …show more content…
The act provides a searchable online database of recalls, safety information, and reports of product incidents that caused injury.
CPSIA Requires Certificates Of Safety
Importers and manufacturers must make certificates of conformity available to their distributors and retailers under CPSIA. These certificates show that the products have been appropriately tested and meet the requirements of CPSIA. Without these certificates, it's likely that shipments of products will be refused when they reach stores, so there is some built-in compliance checking in the new act.
CPSIA Makes Selling Recalled Products Illegal
One portion of CPSIA affects consumers just as much as manufacturers. If you intend to sell your used baby gear, make sure it's not under recall before tagging it for the garage sale. CPSIA includes a section that makes it illegal to sell recalled products. While it's unlikely that CPSC will focus on the neighborhood yard sale for enforcement, it's a good idea to get into the practice of checking for recalls before selling, anyway. One of the main ideas of CPSIA is to help keep dangerous products from reaching our children, and checking for recalls is another way to do just …show more content…
These requirements were to go into effect Feb. 10, 2009. Now they are on hold until Feb. 10, 2010. Manufacturers and importers are still required to make sure their products meet the new lead and phthalates limits. The stay only means they do not have to complete the unit testing and produce certificates of conformity to show that testing has been done. The stay does not apply to the ban on lead paints and surface coatings, the new small parts rules, new crib and pacifier standards or lead content guidelines for children's