New Federal Lead Law

So yesterday (January 8th, 2009) my friend calls me, a business owner like myself, and tells me about this new lead law. She says to me that they are passing a new law which will require retailers as of February 10th, 2009 to do lead testing on products before they are sold. The law states anything being sold to children under 12 must be tested for lead to their standards.
So like most - we are wondering, What does this mean? Do you have to throw everything out? How do we test our products? Will our businesses be done for? Does this mean no more second hand shops and shopping?
These are some of the many questions that have everybody in pure panic. This seems like it will not only effect businesses, but really everyone across the board.
What happens to EBay? Does that mean no more collecting vintage toys?
What about garage sales? Even crafters are effected.

Many are un-aware of this new law, as I was until yesterday.

To read all the information on this Act you can Click Here

After thrift and secondhand stores across the country complained, the federal government issued a clarification Thursday January 8th, 2009, saying that sellers of used products are not required to certify that they meet the new lead limits or toy standards.

Read the CPSC Clarification Here

Lead is a highly toxic metal found in small amounts in the earth's crust. Because of its abundance, low cost, and physical properties, lead and lead compounds have been used in a wide variety of products including paint, ceramics, pipes, solders, gasoline, batteries, and cosmetics.

* headaches
* muscle and joint weakness or pain
* excessive tiredness or lethargy
* behavioral problems or irritability
* difficulty concentrating
* loss of appetite
* metallic taste in the mouth
* abdominal pain, nausea or vomiting
* constipation

Of Course these symptoms may or may not be present, and each of them can also be caused by many other common illnesses as well. But if you have these symptoms for a long time and no other cause has been found, and there may have been some exposure to lead, then tests poisoning should be considered - So see your doctor.

Article Source; Consumer Affairs October 22, 2007
Click Here to go directly to the Article on The Consumer Affairs Website

Following reports of excessive lead in children's and pets' toys, many parents have rushed to buy lead test kits that they can use at home .But the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) says its analysis finds that may not be a good idea.
The CPSC today announced the results of a special evaluation of consumer lead test kits. CPSC staff used commonly available test kits on a variety of paints
and other products containing different levels of lead.
Many of the tests did not detect lead when it was there (false negatives); some indicated lead was present when it was not (false positives).
Of 104 total test results, more than half (56) were false negatives, and two were false positives. None of the kits consistently detected lead in products if the lead was covered with a non-leaded coating.
October 22, 2007 Spanish
Following reports of excessive lead in children's and pets' toys, many parents have rushed to buy lead test kits that they can use at home
.But the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) says its analysis finds that may not be a good idea.
The CPSC today announced the results of a special evaluation of consumer lead test kits. CPSC staff used commonly available test kits on a variety of paints
and other products containing different levels of lead.
Many of the tests did not detect lead when it was there (false negatives); some indicated lead was present when it was not (false positives).
Of 104 total test results, more than half (56) were false negatives, and two were false positives. None of the kits consistently detected lead in products if the lead was covered with a non-leaded coating.
"Testing by a qualified laboratory and trained personnel is the only way to accurately assess the potential risk posed by a consumer product that may contain lead," the CPSC said.
It noted the latest findings are consistent with previous CPSC staff test results.
Details
CPSC staff studied two common types of home lead test kits that are based on chemical reactions involving rhodizonate ion or sulfide ion.
Most test kits were developed to detect levels of lead in household paint that are usually much higher than CPSC's regulatory maximum level of 0.06%. As a result, staff found that these kits may not be useful for detecting relatively low lead paint concentrations or for detecting lead in other materials, such as metal jewelry or vinyl products.
Also, both types of kits may be affected by substances such as iron, tin, or dirt, or by paint colors that can cause the color in the test kit to change or hide the color change, thereby interfering with interpretation of the test results.
CPSC staff also evaluated the use of x-ray fluorescence (XRF) for screening for lead in paint and other products. Twelve of 13 samples were correctly identified as containing lead.
The staff notes that this technology may be of use by a professional inspector for screening for the presence or absence of lead in products, particularly for surface level lead. However, XRF detectors are generally not available for consumer use.
Further, use of an XRF device requires knowledge, training and consideration of its limitations.
For example, XRF detectors have limited depth of penetration so, for certain applications such as children's metal jewelry, it is possible for the surface coating to mask the presence of potentially hazardous leaded base metal underneath.
Consumers should exercise caution when using these test kits to evaluate consumer products for potential lead exposures. False results can make it difficult or impossible for consumers to determine the proper course of action to take.
In fact, CPSC staff has tested a number of samples that had been identified by consumers and others based on their use of inexpensive test kits as having high lead levels. To date, none of these items has actually had high lead levels based on CPSC lab analysis.