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ISSUES

Toy Safety

 

What's New

Senate Passes Major CPSC Reform Act

The U.S. House and Senate have now both overwhelmingly passed legislation to beef up the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and guarantee the safety of children’s toys and other consumer products. The two bills are similar in many ways, but not all, so the House and Senate are now in the process of reconciling differences in a “conference committee” where they will finish the bill to send to the president. We’re now working to ensure that the strongest parts of each bill make it into the final law to be sent to the President.

Here is an excerpt from our statement in March when the Senate passed its bill: “If we are going to protect children and the public from the growing number of shoddy, imported toys coming onto our shores and into our stores each year, we need a bigger, better CPSC backstopped by 50 state attorneys general,” Domenitz concluded. “It’s time for Congress and the President to finish the job of tightening our toy safety net.” 

 

How You Can Help

Tell NAM to support CPSC reforms

Now that the CPSC bill passed the Senate by a resounding 79-13 vote, all that’s left is for the House and Senate to negotiate their two bills so that they can send a final law to the president. However, the National Association of Manufacturers, which includes toy companies and others that make products regulated by the CPSC, continues its opposition to passage of the best parts of both bills and may try to delay or even kill the reforms.

Click here to email the National Association of Manufacturers and ask them to support the strongest possible CPSC reforms.

Click Here To Receive Our Toy Safety Updates

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Overview

While most toys on store shelves are safe, we continue to find toys that pose a range of safety hazards to small children. As a result, parents and other child-care providers need to remain vigilant in order to prevent toy-related deaths and injuries.

Recently, MASSPIRG broadened the scope of unsafe toys to include toys labeled as phthalate-free. Our analysis last year shows that even some products labeled phthalate-free contain the dangerous chemical.

Toy manufacturers should act swiftly to recall unsafe products and give parents the information they need to allow them to purchase safe toys for their children. MASSPIRG and our allies have prompted recalls or regulatory action on over 100 toys.

 

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