CPSC Targets Retailer Home Depot in Rare Sale of Recalled Goods Civil Penalty
September 7, 2017, Crowell & Moring
The Company will pay a civil penalty of $5.7 million. This penalty is significant because it involves claims against a retailer who allegedly sold recalled products in violation of Section 19(a)(2)(B) of the Consumer Product Safety Act. This penalty is just the third such penalty in recent years. Notably, and perhaps the reason why the CPSC sought a significant civil penalty here, according to the agency’s allegations, sales and distribution of recalled products continued for one year after Home Depot had told the Commission in May 2015 of the potential sale of approximately 595 units of seven different recalled products.
CPSC approves new federal standard for infant bouncers
September 7, 2017, cpsc.gov
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) approved a new federal mandatory standard to improve the safety of infant bouncer seats and prevent deaths and injuries to babies. Infant bouncer seats support babies in a reclined position and allow them to bounce. The new federal standard is based on the existing voluntary standard, ASTM F2167-17. The ASTM standard improved the requirements for stability to address tip-over incidents and for the battery compartment to address incidents involving battery leakage, corrosion, and overheating.
CPSC Acts on Phthalates
September 7, 2017, Keller Heckman Law
The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) voted unanimously to approve a final rule to determine that certain plastics (with specified additives) are not expected to violate limits on phthalates in children’s toys and child care articles and therefore will not require third-party testing. The Commission has separately agreed in a court proceeding to vote on a final rule on phthalate limits in children’s toys and childcare articles by October 18, 2017.
Chemical companies have already released 1 million pounds of extra air pollutants thanks to Harvey
September 4, 2017, The Washington Post
Oil refineries and chemical plants across the Texas Gulf Coast released more than 1 million pounds of dangerous air pollutants in the week after Harvey struck, according to public regulatory filings aggregated by the Center for Biological Diversity. While attention has zeroed in on the crisis at the Arkema chemical plant in Crosby, Tex., other facilities — oil refineries, chemical plants and shale drilling sites — have been reporting flaring, leaks and chemical discharges triggered by Harvey.
In-depth: From trusted to busted – when brands lose consumer trust
September, 2017, Best Media Info
Johnson & Johnson recently lost its fifth court case in the US, which has understandably lent a blow to the brand’s image world over. Several legacy brands from McDonald’s to Volkswagen have been taken to court for selling ‘substandard’ products. What do global Giants Volkswagen, Tata Motors, Nestle and Johnson & Johnson have in common? All of them have lost market share in respective industries because of controversies surrounding quality issues or faulty products.
Companies are coming clean about fragrance, but is that enough?
September 7, 2017, Mother Nature Network
If you look at the ingredient label of your favorite shampoo or laundry detergent, you’ll likely see the word “fragrance” or “parfum.” What you won’t see is a list of the chemicals and other ingredients used to manufacture that synthetic scent. Product manufacturers don’t have to tell you what’s in their fragrances, as those ingredients are considered a trade secret and protected by law.
Chinese company claims victory in US patent case at heavy cost
September 6, 2017, Global Times
A Chinese self-balancing vehicle maker that recently won a patent case launched by US competitors said that despite the victory, the company had sustained massive losses in business. Hangzhou Chic Intelligent Technology Co said in a statement that the case cost the company “a huge amount of capital and personnel and seriously lowered the company’s ability to invest in research and development and innovation.”
Manufacturers Share Chemical Data With EPA to Make Safety Case
September 6, 2017, Bloomberg BNA
The BASF Corp., the Dow Chemical Co. and Honeywell International Inc. are sharing chemical data with the EPA in a bid to persuade agency scientists that the compounds they make or use are safe and should stay on the market. During the next few years, the Environmental Protection Agency will study and consider regulations for the 10 compounds that are under review if the agency determines they are unsafe—part of the agency’s implementation of last year’s amended toxics law. At stake are hundreds of uses of chemicals in factories, households, and construction sites that hinge on EPA’s upcoming reviews.
The Extraction is Watching the Proposition 65 Litigation
September 6, 2017, Daily Coffee News
A California trial over whether Starbucks and other coffee sellers should warn consumers about low levels of a carcinogen in their brews kicked off recently with the companies saying the chemical is a low-risk byproduct of coffee roasting and a nonprofit arguing that no exemption to a state notification law is warranted.
JPMA educates families about Baby Safety Month
September 6, 2017 San Francisco Chronicle
Child safety devices, like safety belts and straps, should be used on baby gear each and every time to reduce the risk of infant fall injuries. That is the potentially lifesaving message of this year’s Baby Safety Month, celebrated each September by the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA). Falls are still the leading cause of non-fatal injuries for all young children in the U.S.
