About the Children's Safe Products Act of 2008 (House Bill 2647 / Senate Bill 6530)
This summer, manufacturers recalled millions of toys because of dangerous lead paint. Unfortunately, lead has turned out to be only the start of parents’ worries as closer scrutiny of toys and other children’s products has revealed other potentially harmful chemicals that are linked to reproductive problems, learning disabilities, hormone problems, and cancer. The federal government has been slow to act. Washington State must take action now to protect children from toxic chemicals by passing the Children’s Safe Products Act of 2008.
Prime sponsors of the Children's Safe Products Act of 2008 (HB 2647 and SB 6530) are Representative Mary Lou Dickerson (D-36) and Senator Debbie Regala (D-27).
Co-sponsors as of the bill filling on 1/16/08 are:
House: Representatives Hudgins, Hunt, Morrell, Pedersen, Williams, Cody, Green, Campbell, VanDeWege, Hasegawa, Roberts, Loomis, Upthegrove, Liias, Hunter, Chase, Smith, McIntire, Barlow, Conway, Priest, Schual-Berke, Simpson, Kenney, Goodman, Sells, Rolfes, Darneille, Lantz
Senate: Senators Oemig, Tom, Eide, Rockefeller, Kauffman, Keiser, Fraser, McDermott, Jacobsen, Shin, Fairley, Weinstein, Rasmussen, Kline, McAuliffe, Franklin, Kastama, Kohl-Welles, Kilmer
WA State Legislature Passes the Children's Safe Products Act!
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FAQs about the Children's Safe Products Act
Exposed: Top Industry Myths About Phthalates
See list of Supporters of the Children's Safe Products Act
back to main Toxic-Free Kids page
About the Children's Safe Products Act
Supporters of the Children's Safe Products Act
Take Action to Make Kid's Products Safe
Fact Sheets on the Children's Safe Products Act
Lax Laws on Toxic Ingredients in Kid's Products
"What's in the Toy Box?" fact sheet
"Rx for Prevention: Children's Products" fact sheet
Developmental Impacts of Chemical Exposures
Specifically, the Children’s Safe Products Act as passed by the WA Legislature will:
Protect children from lead, cadmium, and phthalates in products they use everyday.
- The bill prohibits the sale of children’s products containing lead at more than 90 ppm (parts per million), beginning July 1, 2009. Allows the departments of Ecology and Health to lower this limit to 40 ppm by rule if determined achievable for manufacturers and necessary for children’s health. The 40 ppm limit for lead is recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics.
- The bill prohibits the sale of children’s products containing any combination of six specific phthalates at more than 1000 ppm, beginning July 1, 2009*. These six phthalates have been banned in children’s products in the European Union since 1999 and were banned in California last year.
- Children’s products addressed by the bill include toys, cosmetics and jewelry intended for children under the age of twelve, or any product designed or intended for teething, feeding, or clothing a child. Products such as certain electronic products, batteries, bicycles, sporting equipment, and chemistry sets are not covered.
- Manufacturers that violate these prohibitions are subject to fines of up to $10,000. Retailers who unknowingly sell restricted products will not be held liable.
More about lead - cadmium - phthalates
Provide consumers with information to make safer product choices for their children.
- The bill requires manufacturers of children’s products to report whether their product contains a “chemical of high concern to children” to the Department of Ecology. Ecology will develop this list through rulemaking.
- The Department of Ecology is required to publish this information on a website along with information on available safer alternatives to the chemical.
- The Department of Health must educate parents, child care providers, and health professionals about toxic chemicals in infant and children’s products.
Put Washington on track to addressing the many other hazardous chemicals in children’s products.
- The bill requires Ecology to identify chemicals that are of high concern for children and the children’s products or product categories that may contain them. These chemicals are those linked to developmental toxicity, cancer, reproductive harm, or hormone disruption that are present in our bodies, our homes, our drinking water, or our consumer products.
- Ecology must report their findings on the chemicals and products, along with policy recommendations on how to best regulate chemicals in products, to the Legislature by January 1, 2009.
See bill information on the Washington State Legislature Web Site:
Engrossed Substitute House Bill 2647
Resources
Learn more about toxics in toys - Download our "What's in the Toy Box?" fact sheet
Learn more about toxics in baby shampoo and lotions - Download our "What's in the Bath Tub" fact sheet
Download our Lead, Cadmium, Phthalates Fact Sheet
Learn more - Download our fact sheets
Read about Toxic Toys in the News
Learn about our Toy Testing and the Healthy Toys Database
