From the Mainstream Media we get Headlines such as:

Popular Purses May Carry Dangerous Levels Of Lead

It comes complete with this disturbing quote from the Center for Environmental Health Director "If a child is exposed to lead it can permanently effect development of the brain. Lead exposure in adults is attached to increased risk of heart attack, stroke and memory problems."

If we were talking about chew toys, I would be concerned, but I don’t know any little girls old enough to play with a purse that are chewing on them.

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Though some get it, especially at the local levels:

Stores caught in wake of new lead law

This article author certainly sees the impact of CPSIA on Resellers, and those who shop at those stores:

“But now, the items that once made up a quarter of revenue at Top Drawer Resale Clothier in Traverse City are tucked out of view, held back by a thin rope and a handwritten sign. ‘Sorry, these items are not for sale.’…

Since the law took effect, some area thrift stores like Top Drawer stopped taking any children's items. Others have developed more stringent practices, in some cases reducing the amount of items taken to the floor.”

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And this op-ed piece dealing with numerous “troublesome chemicals”:

Good intentions gone astray

I especially like her ending, which applies to CPSIA as well as the other “chemical safety bills” she mentions:

“It's fine to be out in front - when necessary. And it is absolutely right to provide consumers, especially children, with strict protections - but not when that claim of protection is without basis and contradicts the risk-based, scientific study that is the traditional foundation for law and safety standards in the United States. So as the House Consumer Protection Committee considers ‘the chemical bills,’ its members should amend the proposals to give sound science priority over emotion, and to recognize that existing federal laws have already set the consumer protection standard for the nation - including Oregon.” Amen! Let’s hear it for science over emotion! And for “risk-based scientific study”.