The acting chair of the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) lashed out at the toy industry for a lack of safety controls that led to a string of highly publicized recalls, and she warned that the industry has the obligation to regulate itself.
"I will not tolerate this industry ... not complying with our regulations," Nancy Nord said on Monday in an address at the annual American International Toy Fair expo, whose four-day run ends today.
Nord said the federal agency, under attack for not acting quickly enough to eliminate hazardous products from store shelves, is adding staff and working more closely with customs officials to stop suspect imports. But she noted that "we all need to take responsibility" to make toys safer, and she said she was "very angry" about recalls involving lead paint because they showed a breakdown in quality control.
Nord's comments came as the agency works closely with the Toy Industry Association to develop mandatory testing standards after millions of toys, most of them imported from China, were recalled last year because of lead or other hazards. There were 61 toy recalls last year, compared with 40 in 2006, she said.
The trade group on Monday released details of a certification program that mandates uniform testing, auditing of factories and risk assessment analysis of each product. The program dovetails with pending federal legislation that will authorize the CPSC to create such a program or designate a body to do so.
The final initiative by the industry group and the American National Standards Institute will be released later this week and will be subject to a 30-day public comment review. A final proposal will then be presented to the industry group's board for final adoption and implementation.
The House of Representatives bill that aims to overhaul the CPSC and expands its authority overseeing safety of consumer products is awaiting the Senate counterpart, which could be passed in the next few weeks.
The final piece of legislation is expected to mesh the two bills, but many toy retailers including Wal-Mart Stores Inc and Toys "R" Us Inc, the top two US toy sellers, are getting ahead of the legislation by forcing their suppliers to comply with higher standards for lead and other requirements.
Wal-Mart and Toys "R" Us announced on Friday that toys shipped to their chains starting March 1 would have to meet a tougher standard for lead in surface paint. The two are also phasing out chemicals found in PVC that have raised safety concerns in products for infants and young children. Their measures are meant to meet or exceed new federal standards.
DETERRENCE: With 1,000 indigenous Hsiung Feng II and III missiles and 400 Harpoon missiles, the nation would boast the highest anti-ship missile density in the world With Taiwan wrapping up mass production of Hsiung Feng II and III missiles by December and an influx of Harpoon missiles from the US, Taiwan would have the highest density of anti-ship missiles in the world, a source said yesterday. Taiwan is to wrap up mass production of the indigenous anti-ship missiles by the end of year, as the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology has been meeting production targets ahead of schedule, a defense official with knowledge of the matter said. Combined with the 400 Harpoon anti-ship missiles Taiwan expects to receive from the US by 2028, the nation would have
North Korea yesterday fired about 10 ballistic missiles to the sea toward Japan, the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said, days after Pyongyang warned of “terrible consequences” over ongoing South Korea-US military drills. Pyongyang recently dashed hopes of a diplomatic thaw with Seoul, Washington’s security ally, describing its latest peace efforts as a “clumsy, deceptive farce.” Seoul’s military detected “around 10 ballistic missiles launched from the Sunan area in North Korea toward the East Sea [Sea of Japan] at around 1:20pm,” JCS said in a statement, referring to South Korea’s name for the body of water. The missiles
‘UNWAVERING FRIENDSHIP’: A representative of a Japanese group that co-organized a memorial, said he hopes Japanese never forget Taiwan’s kindness President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday marked the 15th anniversary of the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, urging continued cooperation between Taiwan and Japan on disaster prevention and humanitarian assistance. Lai wrote on social media that Taiwan and Japan have always helped each other in the aftermath of major disasters. The magnitude 9 earthquake struck northeastern Japan on March 11, 2011, triggering a massive tsunami that claimed more than 19,000 lives, according to data from Japanese authorities. Following the disaster, Taiwan donated more than US$240 million in aid, making it one of the largest contributors of financial assistance to Japan. In addition to cash donations and
CLOSER TO CHINA: The upgraded Type-12 missile has a range of about 1,000km, compared with the original model’s range of 200km, and can reach mainland China Japan is preparing to deploy its first batch of domestically developed long-range missiles, with their launchers arriving at an army camp yesterday, as the country accelerates its offensive capability in response to rising challenges in the region. The upgraded Type-12 land-to-ship missiles are to be deployed at Camp Kengun in Japan’s southwestern prefecture of Kumamoto by the end of this month, completing the process of deployment, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said without giving details. Army vehicles carrying the launchers and other equipment arrived past midnight in a highly secretive mission criticized by residents. Dozens of people stood outside of the
RSS