bonnie Posted September 18, 2009 Share Posted September 18, 2009 Third-party safety tests not required for Mattel Toy maker is exempt from lab work it prompted in the first place The Associated Press Toy-makers, clothing manufacturers and other companies selling products for young children are submitting samples to independent laboratories for safety tests. But the nation's largest toy maker, Mattel, isn't being required to do the same. The Consumer Product Safety Commission recently, and quietly, granted Mattel's request to use its own labs for testing that is required under a law Congress passed last summer in the wake of a rash of recalls of toys contaminated by lead. Six of those toys were produced by Mattel Inc., and its subsidiary Fisher-Price. The new law sets strict limits for lead, lead paint and chemicals known as phthalates. It mandates third-party testing for companies, big and small, making products geared for children 12 and under. "It's really ironic that the company that was a principal source of the problem is getting favorable treatment from the government," said Michael Green, executive director of the Center for Environmental Health in Oakland, Calif. Mattel is getting a competitive advantage, Green said, because smaller companies must pay independent labs to do the tests. Testing costs can run from several hundred dollars to many thousands, depending on the test and the toy or product. Mattel says it demonstrated to the CPSC that its products go through rigorous safety tests. Spokeswoman Lisa Marie Bongiovanni also said Mattel has an appropriate firewall in place to ensure test results are protected from corporate influence. "We have extremely qualified people who work feet away from our production lines," Bongiovanni said. "It allows us to do more testing than any other toy company out there." Lead can cause irreversible brain damage. The six Mattel-related recalls in 2007 involved more than 2 million toys. They were part of a slew of recalls by several dozen companies. The recalls led to the new law, known as CPSIA. Mattel and Fisher-Price have not had any lead recalls since. In June, Mattel agreed to pay a $2.3 million civil penalty for violating the lead paint ban. CPSC spokesman Scott Wolfson said Mattel proved its case that its labs were insulated from undue corporate influence. Quote Everything you do is based on the choices you make. It's not your parents, your past relationships, your job, the economy, the weather, an argument, or your age that is to blame. You and only you are responsible for every decision and choice you make, period ... ... Wish more people would realize this. Quotes by Susan Gottesman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ted Oplinger Posted September 18, 2009 Share Posted September 18, 2009 Wonder who they contributed the most to in the last election cycle... Quote "As iron sharpens iron, so also does one man sharpen another" - Proverbs 27:17 "The offense of the cross is that the cross is a confession of human frailty and sin and of inability to do any good thing. To take the cross of Christ means to depend solely on Him for everything, and this is the abasement of all human pride. Men love to fancy themselves independent. But let the cross be preached, let it be made known that in man dwells no good thing and that all must be received as a gift, and straightway someone is offended." Ellet J. Waggoner, The Glad Tidings "Courage is being scared to death - and saddling up anyway" - John Wayne "The person who pays an ounce of principle for a pound of popularity gets badly cheated" - Ronald Reagan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 18, 2009 Share Posted September 18, 2009 Hmmmmmm, let me think about this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bonnie Posted September 18, 2009 Author Share Posted September 18, 2009 Wonder who they contributed the most to in the last election cycle... Nancy Pelosi and Henry Waxman are responsible for this bill. In a classic sign bills without reading them ,Bush signed on to this mess. We have been dealing with senators and congressman for the past year. Some were shocked to hear what was in the bill. It pretty much along party lines. Nancy Pelosi has lost a lot of good will with this. Hope it is enough that woman is forced into retirement This has far reaching consequences. Some libraries have trashed books pre 1985.It hit's many cottage industries. So many people have turned to a home based business in the last decade and this will close almost all of them. Anything used for children 12 and under,or may be of interest to a child has to be tested. This includes even luggage or outdoor vehicles. Lead only harms if ingested. If a child is chewing on the tires of a outdoor vehicle or his luggage,there is a much bigger problem with the parenting I make and sell cloth diapers. Each fabric I use must be tested,and then the finished product. I can use 3-4 different fabrics per diaper. Each has to be tested singly and then the finished product as it has been changed with combining the products. The diaper would end up costing between 1200.00-1350.00 per diaper. If a toddler is chewing on his diaper maybe we should be looking at the parenting. So many parents use the GoodWill and garage sales to clothe their children. What will the families that are without a job at this time or single moms do to clothe their kids. Government can not make sense or do much of anything except pass laws to make life more and more difficult. Mattel has always pushed this.While Mattel is a very large company,cottage industries hurt them financially. One business doesn't, but there are thousands that do a good business. They really would like to see that shut down It was because of their lack in dealing with the chinese. The toys with lead came from China to Mattel. Mattel can now skirt a law and China can still sell to the US. If I buy fabric,it does not have to meet our standards. I have to meet our standards and make sure fabric I use from China is lead free. Quote Everything you do is based on the choices you make. It's not your parents, your past relationships, your job, the economy, the weather, an argument, or your age that is to blame. You and only you are responsible for every decision and choice you make, period ... ... Wish more people would realize this. Quotes by Susan Gottesman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ted Oplinger Posted September 19, 2009 Share Posted September 19, 2009 Lordy, always follow the $$ trail, and you get to the answer... Quote "As iron sharpens iron, so also does one man sharpen another" - Proverbs 27:17 "The offense of the cross is that the cross is a confession of human frailty and sin and of inability to do any good thing. To take the cross of Christ means to depend solely on Him for everything, and this is the abasement of all human pride. Men love to fancy themselves independent. But let the cross be preached, let it be made known that in man dwells no good thing and that all must be received as a gift, and straightway someone is offended." Ellet J. Waggoner, The Glad Tidings "Courage is being scared to death - and saddling up anyway" - John Wayne "The person who pays an ounce of principle for a pound of popularity gets badly cheated" - Ronald Reagan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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