Trump nominates Ann Marie Buerkle, again, to consumer safety post
January 8, 2018, Syracuse.com
President Donald Trump didn’t wait long to send his nomination of Ann Marie Buerkle back to the Senate as his pick to chair the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Trump included Buerkle on a list of more than 70 nominees he sent to the Senate, two weeks after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell declined to carry the nominations over into the new year.
President Trump Re-Nominates Ann Marie Buerkle For Permanent CPSC Chairman and Dana Baiocco as Commissioner
January 9, 2018, Lexology (Mintz, Levin)
With Congress back in session, on January 8th President Trump was swift to re-nominate Acting Chairman Ann Marie Buerkle to be the permanent Chairman of the CPSC, along with a nomination for a second term as a Commissioner. President Trump also re-nominated Dana Baiocco to be a Commissioner.
Window association announces new window covering safety standard
January 12, 2018, PRNewswire
The new safety standard, ANSI/WCMA A100.1-2018, strengthens window-covering safety by requiring that all stock products sold in stores and online—which account for more than 80 percent of all window covering products sold in the U.S. and Canada—to be cordless or have inaccessible cords. WCMA previously announced that the compliance date for the new standard would be one year after ANSI approval, which would be January 9, 2019. However, at the request of CPSC Chairman, Ann Marie Buerkle, who asked WCMA to move up the compliance date,
Acting Chairman Buerkle’s statement on window coverings new voluntary standard
January 12, 2018, cpsc.gov
The CPSC Acting Chair praisesExtensive efforts have been made by CPSC staff, consumer advocates, retailers, manufacturers, test labs, and other stakeholders in the development of this consensus standard. “I applaud and appreciate all of these efforts,” the agency leader says.
Safety Experts Warn About So-Called ‘Tide Pod Challenge’ On Social Media (video)
January 12, 2018, cbslocal.com
Safety experts are warning about a dangerous social media challenge involving teenagers. They’re popping detergent pods in the mouths and then posting the videos online. Many of the social media videos are recorded and posted by minors. They’re putting the poisonous laundry pods in their mouths for clicks and internet fame.
California Prop 65 agreements reached on lead in certain consumer products
January 8, 2018, Satprnews.com
A number of new California Proposition 65 (Prop 65) settlement agreements have been reached on the use of lead in various consumer products. Lead has consistently been targeted since it was listed as a chemical known to cause developmental toxicity in males and females in February 1987. California Proposition 65 is the “Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986’, a unique consumer ‘right-to-know’ law which was passed by Californian residents in November 1986
Vermont seeks to amend its chemical disclosure program
January 11, 2018, National Law Review (Keller and Heckman, LLP)
The Vermont Department of Health (VDH) has proposed revisions to its rules under the state’s Chemical Disclosure Program. Crucially, the rule would offer relief to manufacturers by replacing the current annual reporting requirement with a two-year window. The Toxic Substances in Children’s Products Rule took effect on December 10, 2015, and follows from the state’s 2014 green chemistry bill, VT S. 239.
Chinese consumers pick safety as top priority for infant goods
January 11, 2018, Korean Herald
Product safety is the top priority for Chinese consumers of infant goods, a report said Thursday. The report by the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency said South Korean companies need to focus on improving the safety of products while making inroads into the infant goods market in China.
Call Kurtis: Woman’s concern over oven turns out to be user error (video)
January 8, 2018, sacramento.cbslocal.com
A California consumer says she smells gas when she turns on her Frigidaire oven. She was concerned that it was just a matter of time until something happened because the fumes became increasingly worse. A PG&E inspector determined the oven door wasn’t closing and that the oven door was hitting the rack. After several tries adjusting the oven rack, he finally gets the door closed, no more gas detected.
Opinion: Toxic chemical whack a mole game
January 8, 2018, Investigative Reporting Workshop
A well known advocate-chemist is among a growing number of scientists, advocates, parents and public officials who urge a fundamental shift in how society restricts toxic chemicals — moving away from a one-at-a-time whack-a-mole game to instead targeting whole classes of chemicals. The aim is to end the longstanding pattern of manufacturers simply swapping one toxic substance for another once a chemical, after years of research and advocacy, is phased out or banned.
