Families of Children Severely Poisoned by Lead Contaminated Toys Urge Congress
& Toy Manufacturers to get the lead out in time for the Holidays
WASHINGTON, May 20 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On Wednesday families devastated
by lead contaminated toys will be visiting from cities around the U.S. to
personally knock on Congress' door and urge lawmakers to push through landmark
Consumer Product Safety legislation. The bill, which includes critical
provisions on product recalls and toy safety, and would place limits on lead
in children's toys and increase penalties on manufacturers who don't comply,
has passed the House and Senate and is now in the final stages of
negotiations.
To underscore their concern, parents are also sending an impassioned letter to
the CEO's of major toy manufacturers like the world's largest, Mattel,
appealing to them to reduce by at least 85% the amount of lead in toys, and by
at least 50% the amount of lead in the paint coating on toys, in time for the
holiday season this year.
"We've been to hell and back. Why? Because my three-year old son Ryan loved
his Diego doll more than anything, and like most toddlers kept putting it in
his mouth," said Beth Fischer. "No one told us Diego was coated in toxic,
lead-based paint until it was too late! Now Ryan has severe lead poisoning and
has to go through painful medical treatments, with horrible side effects,
every week."
Consumer advocates are concerned that crucial provisions of the bill may be
lost or weakened during conference committee negotiations. The Center for
Justice and Democracy, which invited these families to Washington, DC, is
urging lawmakers to quickly approve the strongest possible product safety
reform package to include:
-- Making toys safe by the 2008 Holiday Season, by requiring
manufacturers
to comply with stricter lead standards for children's toys, within
180 days.
-- Ensuring that all toys for children 12 years old and younger are
included, and covered under the law.
-- Keeping parents informed of dangerous and recalled toys through the
creation of an online product safety database.
-- Increasing fines for toy companies that break the law to $20 million
dollars.
"Congress must protect our children and pass the strongest legislation
possible." said Diana Downing, whose three-year old daughter Kaaliyah
regularly chewed and sucked on toys that were eventually part of a nationwide
lead paint recall.
"My daughter would wake me up in the middle of the night screaming about the
pains in her stomach," said Downing.
It's widely recognized by toy manufacturers and the Consumer Product Safety
Commission (CPSC) that toys used by children three and under must be safe to
put in their mouth.
"No parent should have to watch their own child suffer needlessly because toy
manufacturers -- trying to make a bigger profit -- have outsourced production
to China which has a terrible safety record," added Beth Fischer. "I refuse to
buy any more toys made in China until Congress and Mattel make sure they're
safe."
Since it was introduced, the Consumer Product Safety legislation has received
bi-partisan support. Both the House and Senate bills, H.R. 4040 and S.2663,
passed their respective chambers by overwhelming margins. The House bill
passed on December 19, 2007 by a unanimous vote of 407-0 and the Senate
successfully passed its reform bill on March 6, 2008 by a vote of 79-13.
Congress, however, must now finish the job.
"We are on the brink of taking a critical step towards protecting America's
children," said Joanne Doroshow, Executive Director of the Center for Justice
and Democracy. "As we witnessed with last year's toy recall, our product
safety net is in tatters, allowing dangerous toys to line stores shelves and
end up in our homes, putting our children at risk. Now is the time for
Congress to repair this safety net and push through landmark legislation that
includes the strongest possible consumer protection provisions."
About The Center for Justice and Democracy
The Center for Justice & Democracy is a tax-exempt non-profit, non-partisan
public interest organization that works to educate the public about the
importance of the civil justice system and the dangers of so-called "tort
reforms."
SOURCE Center for Justice & Democracy
Angela Pauly, +1-202-478-6139, apauly@mrss.com, for the Center for Justice &
Democracy
