AUGUST 25, 2004

SCHAKOWSKY: FEDERAL GOVERNMENT MUST TAKE ACTION TO PROTECT CHILDREN FROM LEAD IN TOYS 
AND PRODUCTS

KIDS IN DANGER REPORT CONCLUDES THAT LEAD IS STILL FOUND IN CHILDREN'S PRODUCTS

CHICAGO, IL - U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) continued to call for stricter government oversight and stiffer regulations to ensure that children's products do not contain harmful levels of lead.  Schakowsky, who is the top Democrat on the Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection Subcommittee, pointed to a report released today by Kids in Danger, which found that some crayons, sidewalk chalk and vending machine jewelry contained 550 times the level of lead considered toxic in paint.

In a forward to the report, Schakowsky wrote, "Lead, even in small amounts, can cause irreversible neurological damage, delayed physical and mental development, and attention and learning problems to children who are exposed to it." 
 
She added, "The federal government recently recalled 150 million vending machine toys - rings and necklaces that sell for fifty cents or a dollar apiece.  But in 21st Century America, these toys, and others laced with lead, should never have been allowed to reach the hands of children and enter the homes of unsuspecting parents."

The report titled Playing With Poison: Lead Poisoning Hazards of Children's Product Recalls 1990-2004 also found:

• Since 1990, 49 children's products have been recalled because of the presence of lead, even though it had been banned for that use for more than a decade prior to the study period.

• Twenty-nine products (59%) were recalled because of lead paint, and twenty products (41%) were recalled because of elemental lead.

• Of the 26 recalled products with known locations of manufacturing only one, the Little Tikes crib center, was manufactured in the United States. Over 50% were manufactured in China.

"The Kids-in-Danger report sheds the light on a serious health crisis that is facing our nation today.  Playing With Poison: Lead Poisoning Hazards of Children's Product Recalls 1990-2004 is an eye-opening critical study of what our children and parents are facing today and it offers a clear set of recommendations that will help us eliminate this dangerous and deadly threat," Schakowsky stated.
 
She concluded, "As the lead Democrat on the Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection Subcommittee, I have called on the Consumer Product Safety Commission to take all the necessary action to eliminate the threat of lead in children's toys, and I continue to push for Congressional hearings on the regulations governing the safety of children's products.  Congress must examine the frequency and effectiveness of children's product recalls and review the actions taken by the Consumer Product Safety Commission to protect children from harmful products."