After child deaths, feds threaten stricter regulations for dresser manufacturers
October 6, 2016, Philly.com
The stage is set for what could be a long battle between regulators and furniture manufacturers over the problem of tip-overs. CPSC Chairman Elliot Kaye has delivered an ultimatum to the American furniture industry: develop stronger standards or have them forced on you. He charges that the industry’s own voluntary stability test, meant to ensure dressers remain upright if pulled by children, is so “severely deficient” that the CPSC is considering a mandatory standard. Pushback from the industry, which claims there is a lack of data supporting the CPSC’s position, was immediate.
Best Buy agrees to pay $3.8 million CPSC civil penalty to settle charges that it distributed and sold recalled products
October 3, 3016, The Wall Street Journal
The agreement with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission settles the charges that Best Buy knowingly sold and distributed 16 different recalled products consisting of 600 individual items sold from 2010-2015. CPSC staff charged that Best Buy to implement adequate procedures to prevent the sales of the recalled products across all of its supply chain. Staff also charged that Best Buy, in some cases, failed to permanently block product codes that signaled that the recalled product was not in inventory. A Best Buy spokesman expressed regret for the oversight saying “While the number of items accidentally sold was small, even one was too many. We have taken steps, in cooperation with the CPSC, to help prevent these issues from recurring.”
Samsung could face second recall as U.S. probes burnt phone
October 7, 2016, Bloomberg/The Washington Post
Samsung Electronics Co. could face an unusual second recall of its Note7 smartphones if one that caught fire aboard an airliner is a replacement device as its owner claims, according to a former U.S. safety official. The Federal Aviation Administration and the Consumer Product Safety Commission are investigating the incident which occurred when a passenger’s phone emitted smoke on a Southwest Airline plane getting ready for departure. “If it’s the fixed phone and it started to smoke in his pocket, I’m going to guess there’ll be another recall. That just doesn’t sound right,” said former CPSC executive director Pamela Gilbert.
Volkswagen reaches $1.2 billion settlement with U.S. dealers in emissions scandal
September 30, 2016, chicagotribune.com/Tribune news service
The up to $1.2 billion figure would compensate the U.S. Volkswagen dealers for losses they said they suffered from the company’s emission cheating scandal, according to a settlement agreement filed in federal court in San Francisco. Under the terms of the deal, dealers can choose to opt out and pursue their own lawsuits against Volkswagen, which previously had reached an agreement with U.S. car owners calling for it to spend up to $10 billion buying back or repairing about 475,000 vehicles involved in its scandal.
Toy Industry Association (TIA) reaffirms position on cadmium
October 5, 2016, 4-traders.com
Even while the Consumer Product Safety Commission has confirmed the effectiveness of safety standards for cadmium (and other heavy metals) in children’s toys, the Toy Industry Association and its members state that they led an effort in 2011 to add more stringent limits for heavy metals such as cadmium to its already comprehensive safety standards for toys. The TIA has reaffirmed this position in an October, 2016 public statement.
TIA on phthalates: supports “any scientific investigation” to improve or reinforce the safety of its products
October 6, 2016, 4-Traders.com
Specific restrictions on the presence of phthalates in toys and child care articles are included in the 2008 U.S. Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act. The CPSC is currently reviewing the recommendations made by the Chronic Hazard Advisory Panel (CHAP) of experts appointed by the federal government before proposing other phthalate regulations. The Toy Industry Association on behalf of its members has issued a statement in support of any scientific investigation to improve or reinforce the safety of its products.
Crippling bacterial infection sweeps Flint, Michigan because residents are too scared to bathe in lead-infested water and use baby wipes instead
October 4, 2016, dailymail.co.uk
Flint Michigan has confirmed an outbreak of a highly infectious bacterial disease caused by residents being too scared to bathe in lead-contaminated water. So far 53 residents in Flint have contracted shigellosis, a virus that causes bloody diarrhea, fever, and nausea, usually the result of poor hygiene. City officials say that residents are, instead, washing themselves with free baby wipes handed out at community centers following the 2014 lead contamination of the town’s water supply.
California lists furfuryl alcohol under Prop 65
September 30, 2016, OEHHA
Effective September 30, 2016, California has added furfuryl alcohol to the list of chemicals known to the state to cause cancer for purposes of Proposition 65. The listing by the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) is based on the formal identification of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, an “authoritative body” as required under the criteria stated in the regulation.
Recall website fails to cope with volume of traffic caused by airbag failures
October 5, 2016, stuff.co.nz
A New Zealand government official is disappointed that government’s product recall website didn’t cope with a flood of visits prompted by a huge recall of faulty airbags. Paul Smith, the country’s Consumer Affairs Minister, said “I am advised the trading standards team are looking at optimizing the site’s ability to deal with similar spikes should they occur in the future. Visits to recall.gov.nz were up 360 times over normal events.
