The federal Consumer Product Safety Commission on Friday agreed to wait one year before enforcing new lead testing rules for the makers and importers of products for children 12 and under. The new law, set to take effect Feb. 10, have had Asheville area book sellers, toy retailers, crafters and even libraries worried about the rules’ impact on them.
The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act became law in August 2008 as U.S. lawmakers responded to a series of massive recalls in 2007 of mostly Chinese-made toys containing lead. The new rules require that all books, toys and handmade crafts be tested for lead, regardless of where they’re manufactured.