From yesterday’s New York Times “Senators Urge More Stringent Rules for Toy Safety” - links mine:
Senator Richard J. Durbin, Democrat of Illinois, praised the toy industry for acknowledging that hazardous toys are a real problem.
‘There is no corporate denial here,’ he said. ‘There is no defensive crouch.’
But Mr. Durbin said he was disappointed with … the safety commission, which he said did not appear to be attacking the problem aggressively enough, including moving too slowly to institute and enforce a ban on lead in children’s jewelry.
He also mocked a new agreement with Chinese officials to block lead in toys, saying that the Chinese government told his office the policy had long been in place.
What is clear, Mr. Durbin said, is that the consumer product regulatory system — which largely relies upon manufacturers, importers and retailers to police themselves and report hazardous products — has not worked well enough.
‘Those who have argued for so many years that we have to get government out of our lives understand that there are moments when we need government, when we need someone to make certain that the products on the shelves are always going to be safe,’ he said at the close of the hearing. ‘We need to step up to that responsibility.’”
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