Lead // Current TV

Tell Walmart to Get Dangerous Products off its Shelves

"Walmart is currently selling holiday gifts for children that have dangerous... more

lookatmypix
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3 years ago
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2 comments

Chris Martin: Stay away from the Steve Jobs liver-flavored Frappuccino

Stand-up comedian Chris Martin talks about Chinese stereotypes, Oprah and the... more

ChrisMartinComedy
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3 years ago
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For Lead Violations, 9 Companies are Fined (as Little as 1 Cent Per Toxic Toy)

Nine companies will pay a combined total of more than $500,000 in penalties for... more

goldenways
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3 years ago
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Wheel Weights Found to be Greatest Source of Lead Pollution in US

If you had to guess what the biggest source of lead pollution in the US was, wheel... more

pjacobs51
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3 years ago
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2 comments

Steven Page finished being barenaked

Steven Page spoke out Wednesday about his departure from the Barenaked Ladies

urlspotter
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4 years ago
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1 comment

As national Bankruptcy day looms closer, Forbes Sides with Mommies over CPSC

The new law that has enabled CPSC to put many small business into bankruptcy and has... more

hallcrash2000
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4 years ago
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1 comment

New rules on toys could spell doom

Looming federal regulations that could force used-item retailers and thrift stores to... more

bedeboop
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4 years ago
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Checking Santa's Toys For Lead

Last summer, Congress passed a dramatic bit of legislation that will, among other... more

covelogibbs
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4 years ago
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1 comment

National Bankruptcy Day, February 10, 2009

In the Wall Street Journal, Rick Woldenberg was quoted as describing February 10, 2009 as National Bankruptcy Day because that’s the day when many small american manufacturers will go out of business due to the implementation of the CPSIA Regulations. I’m dismayed at how little it’s been discussed online and in the news. I’m shocked that so few manufacturers know about it. Of the ones that do know, most think it either doesn’t apply to them or it will magically disappear or it won’t be enforced so they can ignore it. Come February 10th, a lot of people will be hit hard by reality when their products are returned or their financing is declined.

To recap, this law was passed (424 votes to 1) to protect children from unsafe toys after last year’s widely publicized recalls (by the way, recalls have actually decreased by 46%). What few consumers realize is this legislation affects more than toys. What few clothing manufacturers realize is this also affects them. Of the ones who do know, most of them think it only applies to children’s clothes. Other than apparel the law includes diapers, blankets (housewares), books, videos, computer and electronic products, strollers, cribs, car seats, and anything humans come in contact with in their environment. The objections are not higher standards for product safety or even the costs involved. The problem is Congress wrote the law and forced the CPSC to implement it before the regulations were written. These regulations are not written by people who are familiar with manufacturing and thus, impose unnecessary burdens.

The BIG problem is that this is a very popular law with consumers and legislators. Because it is so complex, they don’t know what it really means or what its effects will be. In the upper echelons, most of the high level organizations like the AAFA, The Toy Association and the electronics industry are lobbying against it. Their problem is that they are not small companies. The vast majority of Americans think this is a Great Law, striking back at unethically made low cost imports and thus, legislators are leery of what high level representatives say. Consumers should know that this law will put thousands of small manufacturers rather than importers out of business at a time when the economy can least absorb it. Consumers need to know that come February, many of the products they expect to find in stores won’t be there. I think consumers will start to get the hint once they start getting tickets for transporting their infants without car seats because they can’t buy them in stores. Considering the consequences, there is little doubt the rules and regulations such as they are, will be rescinded. The only issue is, will they be rescinded before they bury too many of small american companies.? This law represents the last nail in the coffin of U.S. manufacturers.In the Wall Street Journal, Rick Woldenberg was quoted as describing February 10, 2009... more

hallcrash2000
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4 years ago
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EPA, with White House nudge, eases rule on lead emissions

Looking to bolster the fight against childhood lead poisoning, the Environmental Protection Agency last month approved a tough new rule aimed at clearing the nation's air of the toxic metal.

But at the last minute, federal documents show, the Bush administration quietly weakened a key provision, exempting dozens of polluters from scrutiny. A new network of monitors that is to track lead emissions from factories has been scaled back.

The federal rule was prompted by compelling research showing lead is more dangerous than had been thought. Even low levels of the toxic metal in young children have been linked to learning disabilities, aggression and criminal behavior later in life. Many scientists say there is no safe level of exposure.

Faced with a court order to act more aggressively, the EPA last month lowered the maximum amount of lead allowed in the air. The new standard, 0.15 micrograms per cubic meter, is 10 times more stringent than the standard set in 1978.

To help meet the new limit, the EPA had planned to require lead monitors next to any factory emitting at least half a ton of lead a year. But after the White House intervened, the agency raised the threshold to a ton of lead or more, according to e-mails and other documents exchanged between the EPA and the Office of Management and Budget.

As a result, dozens of factories won't be checked regularly. Federal and state officials debate the exact number, but a review of EPA records found the number of U.S. plants monitored could drop by nearly 60%, from 203 to 87.

The Obama administration could try to amend the lead rule, but that process would take months.

National lead emissions have dropped 97% under the old standard, largely because lead was removed from gasoline. But cement plants, smelters, steel mills and other factories still emit about 1,300 tons of lead into the air each year, the EPA said.

After tiny lead particles settle to the ground, they can stay there for years. Exposure can occur when people, especially children, handle or play with contaminated soil and then put dirty hands into their mouths.

In written comments filed with the EPA and the Office of Management and Budget, lead battery manufacturers and recyclers said many of their facilities would fail to comply with the tougher standard. If factories had to reduce lead emissions, they said, companies would be forced to move operations to countries with lax environmental policies.

Last month, two weeks after lobbyists from the industry met with Bush administration officials, the White House ordered the EPA to raise the monitoring threshold to a ton or more, federal records show.

EPA officials said states could add lead monitors if they thought it was necessary.Looking to bolster the fight against childhood lead poisoning, the Environmental... more

jennaskarzenski
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4 years ago
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5 comments

Obama lead on McCain grows to 12 points

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Democrat Barack Obama's lead over Republican rival... more

GETTINGOUTOURDREAMS
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4 years ago
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After 30 years, EPA toughens lead-emissions standard

The amount of lead that can be emitted into the air in the U.S. will be dramatically reduced under a new rule the Environmental Protection Agency announced on Thursday to protect the health of millions of Americans — especially children.

It was the first new rule on airborne lead in 30 years, and came in response to more than 6,000 scientific studies since 1990 that show that lead is dangerous to the human body at much lower levels than previously known.

The EPA was under a court order to complete its review for a new lead standard.

The studies have linked low levels of lead to damage to children's nervous systems that can lead to IQ loss, poor academic achievement and permanent learning disabilities, EPA administrator Stephen Johnson said in announcing the new standard. In adults, it can cause increased blood pressure and decreased kidney function.

Children are especially vulnerable. Airborne lead can be inhaled, but also contaminates soil. The main way humans are exposed, however, is from ingesting tainted dirt or dust, as when children play in a polluted area and put their hands in their mouths.

The EPA last set a standard for lead at 1.5 micrograms per cubic meter of air in 1978. The new standard is 0.15 micrograms per cubic meter.

The new standard was in line with what EPA staff scientists and an independent body of science advisers said was necessary.

"Despite the dramatic decrease in environmental lead exposure, lead toxicity remains a major public health problem," the science advisory panel reported.

Emissions of lead into the air dropped by 97 percent since 1978, mainly because the government banned it in gasoline, Johnson said. But today more than 16,000 facilities such as smelters, cement factories and steel plants emit an estimated 1,300 tons of lead into the air annually.

"The new stronger standards address these remaining emissions and offer a shield to protect the health of our nation's children," Johnson said.

The scientists advising EPA listed more of the health costs of low-level exposure to lead in children, including Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, delinquency and criminal behavior. In adults, it's a risk factor for cardiovascular disease and kidney disease, and there's "compelling evidence" that it could increase the risk of death from stroke and heart attacks, it added.

About 310,000 children ages 1 to 5 in America have lead levels that require medical attention, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Lead poisoning can harm nearly every system in the body, but it often goes unrecognized because it can occur with no symptoms.The amount of lead that can be emitted into the air in the U.S. will be dramatically... more

TravG73
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4 years ago
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FDA Finds Lead in Vitamins

See Which Vitamins for Women and Children Have the Most and Least Lead: The Food... more

love_is_my_religion
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4 years ago
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1 comment

US Consumer Bill Partially Bans Plastic Softener

A partial ban on controversial plastic-softening chemicals called phthalates has been... more

goldenways
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4 years ago
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Did Pb Make Them Do It?

A new study reveals a strong link between exposure to lead in infancy and childhood,... more

Vierotchka
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4 years ago
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Lead exposure in childhood linked to criminal behavior later

"Children who are exposed to lead at a young age are more likely to be arrested... more

VSiskos
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4 years ago
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2 comments

Thieves Stealing Lead from British Church Roofs

This reminds me of a story last year about meth addicts in California's central... more

willbpayne
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5 years ago
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Realtors: How to make the most of your leads

You pay to get leads - that's how it works. However, most of them are junk,... more

AngieWiggins
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5 years ago
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China Offers Production Guidelines for Seafood

China is the world's largest producer and exporter of seafood and its shipments... more

covelogibbs
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5 years ago
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Holiday Shopping Season Brings Toy Safety into Focus

In the first of two reports on toy safety, NewsHour economics correspondent Paul... more

covelogibbs
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5 years ago
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1 comment

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