Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff is working to protect Georgia families and children from lead contamination.
Today, Sen. Ossoff launched an inquiry with the Government Accountability Office (GAO) into how the Consumer Protection Safety Commission (CPSC) conducts testing on products intended for children ages 12 and under for potential lead contamination and other safety hazards.
Sen. Ossoff requested information about how the CPSC oversees third-party labs that conduct testing on children’s toys, and whether safety standards need to be updated.
“Since CPSIA’s enactment more than 14 years ago, CPSC has taken steps to implement its heightened safety regime for children’s toys. Despite these improvements, questions remain about the effectiveness of the laboratory testing and certification regime in preventing toxic toys from reaching children. Additionally, as more is learned about the harm that can result from certain heavy metals and other substances that can be present in toys, it is critical for CPSC to revisit the adequacy of its current safety standards,” Sen. Ossoff wrote to the GAO.
The Consumer Protection Safety Commission (CPSC) issues recalls of toys that could potentially expose children to lead, which is invisible to the naked eye and has no smell. Exposure to lead can seriously harm a child’s health, including damage to the brain and nervous system, slowed growth and development, learning and behavior problems, and hearing and speech problems.
The Georgia Healthy Homes and Lead Poisoning Prevention surveillance program, which collects and analyzes data that is used to help plan, implement, and evaluate Georgia’s lead poisoning prevention activities, found that in 2023 of the 5,051 children under 6 tested for lead poisoning in Albany, Georgia.
Sen. Ossoff requested GAO answer the following questions:
1. How does CPSC monitor and assess safety hazards and incidents related to lead, phthalates, and other potentially toxic substances in children’s toys?
2. How does CPSC oversee compliance with third-party lab testing requirements related to lead, phthalates and other toxic substances in children’s toys? How has it assessed the effectiveness of these oversight efforts?
3. How many “firewalled” testing laboratories have been accredited by CPSC annually since CPSC began implementing the third-party testing requirements? How does CPSC oversee compliance with the “undue influence” requirement for firewalled labs?
4. To what extent has CPSC assessed the need to update its toy safety standard or third party testing requirements to strengthen safety protections related to lead, phthalates and other toxic substances in children’s toys?
Sen. Ossoff continues to advocate for the safety and well-being of children across Georgia.
Earlier this year, Sen. Ossoff requested answers from Yoocaa about the safety of their Baby Loungers following a recent recall.
In November, Sen. Ossoff requested answers from Mattel following “Thomas & Friends” toy recalls.
In October, Sen. Ossoff requested answers about baby bib and blanket safety following recalls due to potential choking hazards with the detachable care instruction label.
In 2022, Sen. Ossoff demanded answers from Green Sprouts about the safety of their child drinking cups after they recalled them due to lead contamination risks.
In 2022, Sen. Ossoff also pressed the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to improve efficiency and coordination in processing product recalls in order to protect families from dangerous products in 2022.
Click here to read Sen. Ossoff’s inquiry.
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