Testing Children's Books for Lead

by Bob Sibert

In the summer of 2008 U.S. consumers were alarmed to find out that numerous children’s toys being manufactured in China contained possibly harmful levels of lead. In response, Congress hurried through the Consumer Products Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) in August, which requires the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to verify that all children’s books, card games and toys are tested for lead and phthalates (a type of plasticizer). The CPSC was initially supposed to verify testing had been done on all these products by February 10, 2009 but on January 30, 2009 the deadline was extended to February 10, 2010. In January 2010 the CPSC voted to again extend the deadline to February 10, 2011. The testing requirement covers all books intended for children 12 years of age and under, including books already on the shelves in libraries.

The American Library Association, the Book Manufacturers Institute, the Association of American Publishers, and other trade groups have banded together to oppose this law. Librarians across the country flooded the CPSC with calls and were responsible for the extension of the deadline by one year. It is not hard to make the case that including children’s books in this legislation is an incredibly expensive, time-consuming and harmful burden on the country, meant to protect children from a danger that doesn’t exist. In the last 20 years there have only been twelve book-related reports of dangerous products to the CPSC. Only one of those had to do with lead (a spiral binding) and the rest were related to choking hazards from toys attached to books. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention has determined that there is some lead in the ink of some books but that the level is virtually non-detectable and presents no health risk to children.

According to the American Library Association, the next objective is to get children’s books exempted from the CPSIA before the February 10, 2011 deadline approaches. A bill doing so, H.R. 1692, was introduced in Congress in late March by Jeff Fortenberry, a Republican congressman from Nebraska. Contact your congressional representative and make sure they support this sensible legislation.

For more information about this issue visit http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/wo/woissues/governmentinfo/cpsia/cpsia.cfm.

To see the progress of H.R. 1692 visit http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h111-1692.