Liquid Laundry Detergent Pods Pose Lethal Risk for Adults With Dementia
June 15, 2017, Consumer Reports
A new report from Consumer Reports says that eight deaths related to ingesting liquid laundry packets in the U.S. took place between 2012 and early 2017. The information was obtained from reports to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Two of the cases were young children and six were adults with dementia. A spokesperson for the manufacturer of the pods, Procter & Gamble, said: “We are deeply saddened by this and have taken action to understand and help prevent these types of incidents.”
Toothpick Crossbow: The Worrying ‘Toy’ Trend From China Parents Need To Be Aware Of
June 22, 2017, Huffington Post
Parents are being warned about a worrying new “toy” that allows kids to fire needles, toothpicks and even nails from a mini crossbow. The device, called a “toothpick crossbow”, was originally intended just to fire toothpicks, but kids are now swapping them out for more dangerous items. Commentators are drawing comparisons between fidget spinners and the toothpick crossbow as growing dangers that parents need to be concerned about.
REGULATORS POINT-COUNTER POINT:
Paralysis by analysis is not regulatory reform
June 20, 2017, The Regulatory Review
CPSC Commissioner Robert Adler disagrees with fellow Commissioner Joseph Mohorovic on ways to improve the regulatory process at the agency. Adler evaluates 4 points offered by Mohorovic in a 2-part series of article he wrote that appeared earlier in The Regulatory Review.
The Administrative State run amok
June 21, 2017, The Regulatory Review
CPSC Joseph Mohorovic replies to fellow-Commissioner Robert Adler’s rebuttal to an earlier series of articles by Mohorovic on improving the regulatory process at the agency. Mohorovic based his analysis on “use of four regulatory best practices that, among others, could improve the regulatory work product from CPSC and agencies across the federal government,’ including clearer statements and “honesty in regulatory agendas” and avoiding duplication of the work done by other agencies.
Consumer safety commission looks to reduce regulatory burdens
June 15, 2017, The Hill
The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is asking the public to suggest ways the agency could reduce the burdens and costs of its existing rules, regulations and practices without harming consumers. Executive orders issued earlier this year by President Trump directed certain actions by federal agencies to reduce the number of regulations coming from government. Though these orders are not definitively applicable to independent agencies, CPSC Acting Chair Ann Marie Buerkle said it’s important to comply with the spirit of such orders.
EPA Update: Federal research on recycled tire crumb used on playing fields
epa.gov
On February 12, 2016, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), and the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) launched a multi-agency Federal Research Action Plan on Recycled Tire Crumb Used on Playing Fields and Playgrounds to study key environmental and human health questions. This update explains what has, and has not, been completed since then.
Opinion: Advocacy groups have ulterior motive in wanting weed killer banned
June 21, 2017, Modesto Bee
When California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) announced the weed killer glyphosate would top its list of chemicals suspected of causing cancer, environmental groups cheered – but not for the reasons you may suspect according to an official of an industry advocacy group. The list, born from the 1986 law Proposition 65, is as much a boon to their pocketbook as it is to their moral authority. The author, Joseph Perrone of the Center for Accountability in Science, a non-profit organization supported by businesses, foundations, and individuals, criticizes Proposition 65’s “bounty hunter” provision allowing advocacy groups to enforce the law’s compliance via law suits that generate revenue for the groups and their attorneys.
EPA sets rules to regulate toxic chemicals under 2016 law
June 22, 2017, Washington Post
The Environmental Protection Agency just issued new rules and other documents outlining how it will regulate toxic chemicals under a landmark law passed by Congress last year. The rules, issued on the one-year anniversary of the law’s signature by President Barack Obama, set standards for how the EPA will identify and evaluate high-priority chemicals and impose reporting requirements for industry.
U.K. Consumer Advocate: Government ‘failing on product safety’
June 19, 2017, BBC
A review was published in the U.K. in February 2016, but according to a consumer advocate the government has not acted on any of its findings, noting the Grenfell Tower fire disaster as the latest example of government deficiency in product safety matters. The review’s key recommendations included: Creating an independent small body or “tsar” to oversee product recalls and safety regulations, creation of an official website where consumers and businesses could find out all they needed to know about safety warnings and recalls, and better data and information sharing by officials tasked with protecting the public.
Chinese regulations update: knowledge and compliance
June 21, 2017, cosmeticsdesign.com
As of December 2016, cosmetics items entering China must now comply with updated and clearer China Food and Drug Administration regulations. The permitted list of cosmetics has now been reduced and the restricted list extended. With the enforcement of products entering China enhanced, producers and exporters face stricter rules.
