The ALA’s comments explain that the new CPSIA standards applicable to children’s products should not apply to library books on library shelves prior to February 10.  Since a library’s books are neither “produced” nor “distributed” by the library, the law should not apply to library books.  At this point, however, the CPSC has indicated that the law will apply to libraries.  Read more

Because this over-reaching law mandates expensive ($400 - $4,000 per test) testing on every part of every batch of everything made for children 12 and under, the ramifications are terrible.  Mid-size and small companies of all sorts will go out of business as they cannot afford the testing.  If a company makes clothing, for example, they would have to test every batch of every color and style of fabric, every batch of buttons, snaps, zippers, thread, elastic, etc.  Even if they used the same bolt of fabric to make several different products, simply testing that one bolt would not appease the Consumer Product Safety Commission.  Instead, every size of every style of finished product would have to have every component tested individually!  This scenario applies to every product made for use by children - clothing, books, DVD's, craft products, toys, sporting goods, furniture, bedding, educational products, and so forth - even if the items are made from completely natural components. Read more   (Note: This is a must read article on this issue)

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Chip Gibson, president and publisher of Random House Children’s Books, goes further. “This is a potential calamity like nothing I’ve ever seen. The implications are quite literally unimaginable,” he said, noting that children’s books could be removed from schools, libraries and stores; nonprofit groups like First Book would lose donations; and retailers, printers, and publishers could ultimately go out of business. “Books are safe. This is like testing milk for lead. It has to be stopped.” Read more