Oh I just had a thought, all those packages would have to be checked as they arrived at the offices of the govt. Lets do it!

What did I miss? Why?

I don't see the point of mailing a package to a congressman. It would probably bring out the bomb squad and waste tax dollars. Who knows, with all this new post-9/11 stuff with the post office and airports it may even get you in trouble.

If every body says the clothing they buy is 'for their dog' PETA may step in to "protect" dogs from lead. They have done some headline creating activity in the past.

Just say it is for doll clothes maybe? People do buy children's clothing to dress up dolls and Teddy bears. I know people who do.

I still am not understanding why second hand store would be affected by the new law if the clothing had to pass an inspection at the point of manufacture or distribution.

I guess I missed something too. Are they saying there is lead in used clothing? I must have missed a post somewhere.

Dilly Dally - I found this:

Radicella says the problem is that this new law makes it harder on small business owners like herself. None of the 13,000 used items in her store have the lead-free certification label that newly made products will carry. Therefore, they cannot be sold after Feb. 10.

As the new law is currently being interpreted, the only way Radicella would be able sell the items would be if she paid to have them tested and certified lead free.

I agree with you that sending clothing to the congressmen will cause more problems than it would solve.

Maryann - here's the story.

Here is a link that might be useful: New Lead Law

OK, I see now. Absolutely absurd. Another instance of Big Brother. Enough already of protecting us from perceived dangers. Is there a case of a child being poisoned by their clothes? I doubt it.

Thanks for the link Lydia. That's the first I've heard of this.

And they wonder why businesses are failing left and right?!

#%!@ regulations!

I just read that they are considering easing the restrictions on certain items, such as clothing made from cotton and wool, certain items that HAVE to have lead in them and toys where certain parts would be hard to be reached by a child.

I'm not sure anyone really understands this new law. I don't think it set out to be, nor is it going to be, what people expect.

Too many people have 'tried' to interpret what the law means. It could very well be a good law to protect US products and children.

My main complaint is that the news stations can't and don't really cover indepthly real news stories like this. Dig deep and find the answers people want to know, and then report it... corrrectly... without guess work. I seriously can't find any real information on how this law will be enforced or if it even pertains to used clothing. The news stations are too busy making up stories or sensationalizing ones to get viewers that they forget that they really need to do some investigative reporting and correctly report real news. Sad that it appears that no body really understands or can explain the details this law, and it's supposed to go into effect in just a few weeks. Why haven't we heard about it before now?

I doubt this law is going to be as disruptive as people think... at least I'm hoping it's not. It kinda be nice to know ahead of time though. Maybe someone at NBC could do an indepth news story on it instead of interviewing Paris Hilton. And, hey, when you do your story maybe you could ask one of the bill writers or sponsors of the bill some specifics questions about the bill and who will be effected. It's nice to hear from Barb Smith who works at the local Sal. Army about how she doesn't know how she will feed her new dog and 4 kids if the store closes... but could you work on finding out if the store is really in any jeopardy of closing first? That's the news I want to know.

This is also the law that will not allow any handcrafted items to be sold without the testing. That is anything from wood toys to doll clothes, etc., at craft shows. Even if you say it is not for kids - it still has to be tested.

#1. I agree with Carla. It's not clear to me what the actual impact of this will be, so I think people should wait and see before they start sending clothing to congressmen.

#2. Did you read the information I posted yesterday from Medline about the damage to children? You know, there might actually be a legitimate reason behind this:

"Lead is much more harmful to children than adults because it can affect children's developing nerves and brains. The younger the child, the more harmful lead can be. Unborn children are the most vulnerable.

Children get lead in their bodies when they put lead objects in their mouths, especially if they swallow the lead object. They can even get lead poison on their fingers from touching a dusty or peeling lead object, and then putting their fingers in their mouths or eating food afterward. Tiny amounts of lead can also be inhaled.

Testing shows that many children have too much lead in their blood. Overall, about 1 in 20 preschoolers have high levels of lead in their blood.

Any child can be affected. Children living in cities or older houses are more likely to have high levels..."

Or maybe this doesn't matter?

Two more points:

Other countries don't have the same safety standards we do, so inspections at point of origin don't mean anything if the manufacturer isn't American. And even that means squat. Look at what happened with Mattel and Fisher Price. Do you think every local Chinese or Mexican manufacturer inspects their goods to our standards?

Point of distribution - do you think every store tests its merchandise before it puts it out on the shelves? Hardly, and I'm guessing that's part of what is behind this legislation.

Forgot to post the complications from high levels of lead in the blood:
Reduced IQ
Slowed body growth
Hearing problems
Behavior or attention problems
Failure at school
Kidney damage

Sorry, I'm taking up space. In a hurry and babbling :O)

I'll just say that I'm amazed I'm still alive. Lead, pesticides, asbestos, helmetless bike riding, roller skating, etc., jungle gyms, trees, second hand smoke, wonderful eggs fried in the bacon grease, etc., etc.

It might not be such a bad idea IF the government would lend out the lead-testing machines. They cost about $500. a day to rent from what I have read - how many resale and thrift shops can afford to rent one every few weeks as they add merchandise?? They'll just close up shop, add to the unemployment line and fill the landfills up with perfectly good stuff that they just couldn't afford to get tested.

Also, like I said yesterday.. this law just helps China even more. People who normally buy used will buy new Chinese made items since they are cheaper.

I think the lead testing machines will be owned by independant laboratories. Manufacturers will send test garments for independant testing.

LK, we grew up in a different world than today. We weren't exposed to a global marketplace with products coming in from all over the world.

Chemocurl's link from yesterday makes a specific statement about this -

"The Act has several provisions that focus on import/export issues. The Commission itself has noted that the number of consumer products imported into the United States has doubled over the last decade and that imports account for a disproportionate amount of recalls administered by the Commission. Persons or entities engaged in the import or export of consumer products are now subject to significant regulation and scrutiny under various sections of the Act."

Yes we all grew up with lead. Perhaps I might have had a few more IQ points if I hadn't ;)

Good news in this morning's paper:

"After a barrage of complaints, federal regulators shifted gears Thursday and said they would no longer require that used children's clothing, toys and other items sold at secondhand stores be tested for lead."

Thanks for updating us on that, socks. I had a funny feeling secondhand stores would, one way or another, end up being exempt. Many suggested the bill never included used items anyway and was only for those made after Feb '09. It's nice they're making it clearer.

That's good news, Socks.

You never know what our dear govenment will do, since they are out of touch with reality anyway.

Will this still impact hand knit/crochet items sold at craft shows? If it does, I guess my hobby will take a hit.

Here's what Snopes had to say on the issue.

I used to sell things at craft shows -- no way could I have certified that they were lead free. I agree that we need to have strong laws regarding child protection, but oh my!!

As I understand it, thrift shops etc., will still be restricted from selling recalled toys, etc. . . that's probably a good idea but how will it work out in real life? The church we went to for 32 years had a very active thrift shop -- the average age of the ladies who run it is probably in the late 70s or 80s. I can just imagine how they would deal with that!!

Here is a link that might be useful: Snopes on HR 4040

Gosh, wonder how I lived to be a fully functioning adult, graduating in the top 10% of my class. Used to love to sniff the exhaust of cars when I was younger, say some 65 years ago and there was no 'unleaded gas'. Made my share of mudpies too, tried not to eat much but sure I didn't wash my hands very good.

I'm still shaking my head over the fact that I have reached the age of 64.
Bet ya if The government had interfered I'd be dead for long ago!Lord Donna37 I hear ya!

As I understand it, thrift shops etc., will still be restricted from selling recalled toys, etc. . . that's probably a good idea but how will it work out in real life?

I work for a nationally known donations re-seller and we already check every donation against a list of recalls. It's gotten to be a huge burden because so many toys are recalled, but we have text lists as well as photos of the recalled items posted at the sorting area. Inspectors make the first sort, but anything that might be on the recall lists, like toys and some appliances and children's clothing that may be more than a few years old, is also checked by a supervisor. Recalled items go to a shredder/compactor so they can't be sold. We take this very seriously and every thrift shop or used merchandise shop should. I can't speak for small, local stores but I hope they are just as careful.

Even with the changes it looks like we may have to stop reselling toys. Clothing that has no metal (buttons, for example) should be OK. The changes allow for items that are only made with natural fibers, like cotton, silk or wool, to be sold without testing so those of you who make quilts or similar items are OK.

Because testing labs have to be certified and inspection equipment has to be calibrated periodically, companies would not be able to do their own testing. Any thing to be tested would have to be sent out to a certified testing facility.

There's another good discussion about this same topic on the Quilting Forum. I included a link to that post below.

Here is a link that might be useful: CPSIA discussion