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District Court Blocks California Companies From Importing Unsafe Toys
June 13, 2014 by Brian Feito|Consumer Product Safety Commission

The U.S. District Court for the Central District of California issued injunctions barring four California importers and six people associated with the companies from importing, selling or distributing children’s products containing high levels of lead and phthalates or small parts, said the Consumer Product Safety Commission on June 13. The companies include Toys Distribution Inc., dba TDI International, of Los Angeles and its owners Loan Tuyet Thai and Lan My Lam and manager Paul Phuong; S & J Merchandise Inc. of El Monte and its owner Cuc Thai and manager Tom Liu; BLJ Apparel Inc. of El Monte and its owner Luan Luu; and All Season Sales Inc., of Montebello and its owner Tom Liu. A complaint filed in district court in February alleges that the companies' toy cars, toy musical instruments, dolls and infant rattles violate federal lead, phthalate and small parts standards (see 14022501). CPSC says it tested “dozens of samples” of the companies’ products and toys as they attempted to enter the Port of Los Angeles/Long Beach between 2008 and 2013. CPSC issued repeated Notices of Non-Compliance to the firms and their officers, notifying them that their products violated federal standards, it said.

Former CPSC Chairwoman Says Proposal Would Kill Fast Track Recall Program
June 4, 2014 by Brian Feito|Consumer Product Safety Commission

A proposal by the Consumer Product Safety Commission to set new requirements for voluntary recalls could undermine a program that quickly gets defective product off the market, said former CPSC Chairwoman Ann Brown in a letter to CPSC and several Congressmen dated May 30. By prohibiting disclaimers from companies initiating recalls and making voluntary corrective action plans legally binding, the November 2013 proposed rule (see 13112028) may make CPSC’s “fast track” program impossible, said Brown in the letter, which was posted by the blog Consumer Product Matters.

AAFA Urges CPSC to Change Treatment of Textile Prints to Reduce Lead Testing Burdens
June 4, 2014 by Brian Feito|Consumer Product Safety Commission

The Consumer Product Safety Commission should revise its treatment of prints on textiles to reduce burdens related to lead testing, said the American Association of Footwear and Apparel in a June 2 letter addressed to CPSC Chairman Robert Adler. The decision that all types of prints on textiles are not inherently lead-free has inadvertently required lead testing for many products that never contain lead, said AAFA. CPSC had in April asked industry to suggest materials that shouldn’t require third-party testing as part of its effort to reduce testing burdens (see 13042226).