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.
NO-LIMITS PARTNERSHIP: ‘The bottom line’ is that if the US were to have a conflict with China or Russia it would likely open up a second front with the other, a US senator said Beijing and Moscow could cooperate in a conflict over Taiwan, the top US intelligence chief told the US Senate this week. “We see China and Russia, for the first time, exercising together in relation to Taiwan and recognizing that this is a place where China definitely wants Russia to be working with them, and we see no reason why they wouldn’t,” US Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines told a US Senate Committee on Armed Services hearing on Thursday. US Senator Mike Rounds asked Haines about such a potential scenario. He also asked US Defense Intelligence Agency Director Lieutenant General Jeffrey Kruse
INSPIRING: Taiwan has been a model in the Asia-Pacific region with its democratic transition, free and fair elections and open society, the vice president-elect said Taiwan can play a leadership role in the Asia-Pacific region, vice president-elect Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) told a forum in Taipei yesterday, highlighting the nation’s resilience in the face of geopolitical challenges. “Not only can Taiwan help, but Taiwan can lead ... not only can Taiwan play a leadership role, but Taiwan’s leadership is important to the world,” Hsiao told the annual forum hosted by the Center for Asia-Pacific Resilience and Innovation think tank. Hsiao thanked Taiwan’s international friends for their long-term support, citing the example of US President Joe Biden last month signing into law a bill to provide aid to Taiwan,
China’s intrusive and territorial claims in the Indo-Pacific region are “illegal, coercive, aggressive and deceptive,” new US Indo-Pacific Commander Admiral Samuel Paparo said on Friday, adding that he would continue working with allies and partners to keep the area free and open. Paparo made the remarks at a change-of-command ceremony at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii, where he took over the command from Admiral John Aquilino. “Our world faces a complex problem set in the troubling actions of the People’s Republic of China [PRC] and its rapid buildup of forces. We must be ready to answer the PRC’s increasingly intrusive and
STATE OF THE NATION: The legislature should invite the president to deliver an address every year, the TPP said, adding that Lai should also have to answer legislators’ questions The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday proposed inviting president-elect William Lai (賴清德) to make a historic first state of the nation address at the legislature following his inauguration on May 20. Lai is expected to face many domestic and international challenges, and should clarify his intended policies with the public’s representatives, KMT caucus secretary-general Hung Meng-kai (洪孟楷) said when making the proposal at a meeting of the legislature’s Procedure Committee. The committee voted to add the item to the agenda for Friday, along with another similar proposal put forward by the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP). The invitation is in line with Article 15-2