I am pasting a post that I just wrote on my blog about the
>
> URGENT! Please Read and Act!!!
>
> Okay People…I do not write this lightly. I am begging you
> to read this post, research the links, and act now!
>
> About a week ago I received an email posted on a homeschool
> loop I am on about the new Consumer Product Safety
> Improvement Act. This act was signed into law last August
> and will be in effect on Feb. 10th of this year. Rebecca
> Wilson from Hope Chest Legacy, a homeschool vendor who will
> closing down her business as a result of this Act says
> explains it better than I can:
>
> “This law may have been intentioned to protect
> American children from lead and high PCB levels, but what it
> will actually do is cause havoc in American homes and in our
> economy. It is a VERY badly written law, vague and open
> ended in many ways. Although written with China made
> products in mind, it is open for ANY item sold in the USA
> regardless of where the item was manufactured.
>
> This law requires that ANY item that comes in contact with
> a child who is 12 years old and under, to be tested at a
> government approved testing facility and have a
> ‘certification’ placed on the item. Sounds simple
> enough, but the fallout is much more intense.
>
> The cost of having a single wood block tested is $150. To
> have a wooden baby’s teething rattle tested would be
> $4000. Even books, DVDs, clothing, handmade toys or
> blankets, children’s clothing, the bags items are packed
> in and sold in, etc come under this new law. ANYTHING that
> comes into contact with a child under 12 years of age is
> required to be tested and certified.”
>
> I honestly figured this was hype when I received the first
> email and blew it off. Until I received the email from
> Rebecca Wilson. I adore her products and the fact that this
> was hitting so close to home had me concerned. So I started
> researching…
>
> Check out this post on a forum from a woman named Kathleen
> Fasenella who has been to Washington D.C. in attempt to
> fight this. She says:
>
> “Dear Friends
> There is a grave crisis in the industry. I don’t post
> here much so if you don’t know me, I don’t blame you
> for thinking I’m a kook, alarmist, extremist or
> conspiracy theorist. What I’m going to tell you is all
> too true. In a nutshell, as of 2/10/2009, it will be illegal
> to sell most products intended for children 12 and younger
> unless you undergo expensive product testing to certify your
> products as safe. There are no exemptions or exceptions.
> This includes wahm or grandmas making items for bazaars,
> craft shows, etsy, ebay, or just person to person sales. As
> of February 10, 2009 (National Bankruptcy Day) anything
> without a General Conformity Certificate is legally
> considered Banned Hazardous Material.”
>
> Let me break this down…ANYONE WHO SELLS PRODUCTS, NEW OR
> USED, THAT ARE INTENDED FOR CHILDREN AGES 12 AND UNDER WILL
> BE REQUIRED TO HAVE ALL OF THESE PRODUCTS UNDERGO EXPENSIVE
> TESTING…I’m talking toys, clothes, BOOKS,
> CURRICULUM…Even selling used toys/books to your friends
> WILL BECOME ILLEGAL without having them tested.
>
> This means no more selling children’s products on Ebay
> or Etsy.
>
> I received an email that said Amazon has ALREADY contacted
> their vendors to let them know they will not sell
> children’s items without the testing. I contacted an
> amazon.com rep this morning who verified that vendors had
> been notified that they would need to comply with this act!
> But she obviously didn’t understand that in order to
> comply with the act, anyone who wanted to sell their used
> copy of Goodnight Moon for $2 on amazon.com that was
> published pre-2009 would first need to have it tested for
> $500+. She gave me the fax and address for their legal dept.
> for further questions.
>
> Children’s Consignment Stores will have to close.
> GOODWILL HAS ALREADY DECIDED THEY WILL NO LONGER CARRY
> CHILDREN’S PRODUCTS AND SOME OF THEM ARE CLOSING.
>
> Do you realize how this will effect the homeschool
> community? Almost every company that I buy homeschool books,
> curriculum, and products from are a mom and pop organization
> that will not be able to afford this kind of testing. We
> will no longer be allowed to sell used products for our
> children online and will be breaking the law if we do it in
> person. How many homeschool moms do you know earn extra
> income by making hairbows, blankets, and toys? They would no
> longer be able to do that.
>
> My husband and I have been in contact with HSLDA
> (Homeschool Legal Defense Association) and they just found
> out about this YESTERDAY! They are looking into it as I
> type.
>
> HOMESCHOOLERS, MOMS AND DADS
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I don’t see any problem with requiring testing like that. How would you know whether someone selling a homemade block painted that block with some old paint that happened to contain lead? That is what testing is about and preventing child brain damage is worth the effort.
I don’t think vendors will be required to do the expensive testing. See the link I’ve provided for the research on this.