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.
SLOW-MOVING STORM: The typhoon has started moving north, but at a very slow pace, adding uncertainty to the extent of its impact on the nation Work and classes have been canceled across the nation today because of Typhoon Krathon, with residents in the south advised to brace for winds that could reach force 17 on the Beaufort scale as the Central Weather Administration (CWA) forecast that the storm would make landfall there. Force 17 wind with speeds of 56.1 to 61.2 meters per second, the highest number on the Beaufort scale, rarely occur and could cause serious damage. Krathon could be the second typhoon to land in southwestern Taiwan, following typhoon Elsie in 1996, CWA records showed. As of 8pm yesterday, the typhoon’s center was 180km
TYPHOON DAY: Taitung, Pingtung, Tainan, Chiayi, Hualien and Kaohsiung canceled work and classes today. The storm is to start moving north this afternoon The outer rim of Typhoon Krathon made landfall in Taitung County and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春半島) at about noon yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, adding that the eye of the storm was expected to hit land tomorrow. The CWA at 2:30pm yesterday issued a land alert for Krathon after issuing a sea alert on Sunday. It also expanded the scope of the sea alert to include waters north of Taiwan Strait, in addition to its south, from the Bashi Channel to the Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島). As of 6pm yesterday, the typhoon’s center was 160km south of
STILL DANGEROUS: The typhoon was expected to weaken, but it would still maintain its structure, with high winds and heavy rain, the weather agency said One person had died amid heavy winds and rain brought by Typhoon Krathon, while 70 were injured and two people were unaccounted for, the Central Emergency Operation Center said yesterday, while work and classes have been canceled nationwide today for the second day. The Hualien County Fire Department said that a man in his 70s had fallen to his death at about 11am on Tuesday while trimming a tree at his home in Shoufeng Township (壽豐). Meanwhile, the Yunlin County Fire Department received a report of a person falling into the sea at about 1pm on Tuesday, but had to suspend search-and-rescue
RULES BROKEN: The MAC warned Chinese not to say anything that would be harmful to the autonomous status of Taiwan or undermine its sovereignty A Chinese couple accused of disrupting a pro-democracy event in Taipei organized by Hong Kong residents has been deported, the National Immigration Agency said in a statement yesterday afternoon. A Chinese man, surnamed Yao (姚), and his wife were escorted by immigration officials to Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, where they boarded a flight to China before noon yesterday, the agency said. The agency said that it had annulled the couple’s entry permits, citing alleged contraventions of the Regulations Governing the Approval of Entry of People of the Mainland Area into the Taiwan Area (大陸地區人民進入台灣地區許可辦法). The couple applied to visit a family member in
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