CPSIA isn't the only problem. Apathy is as well.

[#1]

“Your outfit is absolutely adorable!” I heard a woman say behind me and my daughter replied with, “Thank you! My Mommy has a clothing business!” and I sighed. Sighing is not my usual reaction when I get a compliment for my work. The woman and her sister were very polite and had no idea that they had just brought to surface so many terrible feelings with their compliments, “You made her outfit? It's amazing! You really have talent and I've never seen anything so adorable.” They didn't have kids but talked about how they almost wished their biological clocks started ticking simply to shop for my line of clothes. I was completely flattered but almost muted because of the recent decision to close up my Immature Couture shop. When they asked where I sold my clothes I didn't have the energy to explain what was going on so I simply said “Online.” thanked them and went back to grocery shopping with the kids.

I want nothing more than to know that the toys my children play with are safe and will not cause them any harm. I understand the urgency to protect the children of this country from high levels of lead and stop the ridiculous recalls. What I do not understand is why these new regulations were passed with such carelessness that it requires testing for products that have virtually NO risk of lead contamination! Products like clothing, blankets, wooden toys and books! The CPSIA is essentially causing many small businesses that make products for children under the age of twelve to close up shop because of their haste in passing regulations that have an insane amount of loopholes. Congress decided that a problem caused by ridiculous and irresponsible mass-market toymakers should be solved with a solution that sucks in various other industries that are completely unrelated to toys!

Later on when the kids and I were checking out the two women approached me and asked for my business card because they wanted to tell their friends about my clothing line. I smiled and tried to explain to them as plainly as possible that as of February 10th I would be officially closing up shop because of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act . Shockingly they were outraged that they hadn't heard of it. That they felt their rights as consumers were being taken away. That the deadline is so close and there isn't a media outrage over it. That more small businesses are being shut down and allowing the big companies to triumph. We exchanged information, I gave them my card and they said they would be writing whoever they needed to and be in contact with me. They weren't business owners who are effected by this nor were they parents but they were as equally outraged as most of us that have to close our shops.

The apathy that I have seen from the general public and even those that own small businesses and are not effected by the new regulations have saddened me until I spoke with these two women. They were absolutely right! This does not just hurt my business. This hurts everyone no matter if they have children or not. No matter if they have a business selling products to children under twelve or selling something that, thankfully for them, does not have to be burdened with the CPSIA. Why don't more people care?

I loaded up the kids, put my groceries in the trunk and at that moment it finally hit me. Something I started as a side business for extra cash in hand and as a creative outlet was taken from me. Just when my business started to take off it was ripped from my hands, discarded and no real explanation for it. I sell clothes. Not jewelry. Not toys. Not anything that has been manufactured overseas or injected with lead. I design, cut, iron, serge, stitch and package every item of clothing myself. To comply with these regulations each product I made would have to be tested which means each individual component of the garment would have to be tested for lead. A 15$ onesie now costs 400$ to make simply because of the testing fees! I put sleepless nights into marketing plans, helping Etsy teams and writing blogs to help the handmade market. There is no reason for so many of us to be swept out of the way because some major corporations wanted to cut their overhead costs and put MY children in danger. I stood there and cried in the parking lot. There is no reason why so many handmade artists look away at the pain so many of us are going through simply because they are not in the same boat.

Do something. The children in this country need to be protected but by regulations that target only the products that can cause potential harm. If you don't do it for yourself and your business, or your children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews or friend's kids then do it for the sake of what's right and stop being silent and a doormat in our society.

http://www.change.org/ideas/view/save_hand..._from_the_cpsia

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/economi...PSIA/index.html

http://nationalbankruptcyday.com/

http://www.handmadetoyalliance.org/

[JCThompsonArtStudio]

Actually, the toy isn't back from the testing lab yet but the preliminary testing showed the paint was safe but the wood likely contains the lead.

Also bear in mind that while in 1978 lead was banned from all exterior and interior house paint- it was not banned from artist paints.

[Former_Member]

lead in wood, oz... can you imagine how much more lead is going into the ground as we throw away all these "contaminated toys" ... and they start to break down. sheesh!

natural, unfinished wood is up for exemption, though, so doesn't that mean it's basically safe?

[Former_Member]

I'd love to be updated on this matter, Oz, if that's okay with you.

[Former_Member]

Thank you staceyJEANonline... there are laws in place for standards on lead paint.

Oz I totally understand and respect your emotional investment into this. I have said all along that I want my children to be safe with the products they use and I welcome measures to ensure that. However, I will have to disagree with you in that this law was written carelessly and included products that do not post dangers to begin with. Protection is amazing when done effectively. This, however, is going to cause harm to industries that were not threats to begin with.

[Former_Member]

i hope you will come back and let us know the outcome. i'd be interested to know just how much lead is in that wood.

[riskybeads]

This situation, this law, is a huge mess. I wouldn't close up shop unless you know that the products you're making are chock full of lead or toxic chemicals. There have been several press releases about exemptions being considered because the spirit on the law was not to cause the destruction of the handmade toy/clothing/etc. industry. And while the law does go into effect on 2/10, I've also read right here on Etsy that they don't intend to dispatch a gazillion cops on that day to shut everyone down.

[JCThompsonArtStudio]

Around here all of the lead containing toys have to go to our haz mat facility.

My only point to bringing up my newphew is to note that sometimes it is the unsuspecting that is the culprit.

The health department tested all the paint in the house, bathroom tiles, etc... confiscated and tested all of the store bought toys and were baffled when they came up with nothing.

Then my sister remembered the little wooden bird toy that he often put in his mouth and that came back with an unacceptable lead level.

The poor man who made the toy (and has been making them for 50 years) is being treated like a criminal by all these agencies. He does want to go visit my newphew and my sister said he could. He has already sent nice flowers.

Everyone is hurt by this- my nephew, our family, the toymaker, the doctors. We are all saddened.

[Former_Member]

That was a beautiful post ImmatureCouture. I usually post under my other shop fuzzyjewels but it's this shop that I'm so sad about. I was just getting it started when this happened.

I'm not giving up the fight though. I'm hoping that this will clear up soon so we can all get back to work worry free.

[Former_Member]

I would -love- to know the outcome! I haven't heard of levels of lead being so high in natural wood to cause harm like that :(

[JCThompsonArtStudio]

You can buy a home lead-testing kit and if the levels are high, it will show. If they are lower, they probably won't show but won't harm unless a child has something in his/her mouth constantly.

One thing that has been made clear by all the agencies my sister has had to deal with is that after the new law takes effect- they will have no mercy on anyone who makes a product that raises a child's lead level.

[softandscrubby]

RitualBath says:
If this gets passed it is just the begining of regulations that will kill the cottage industry


This has passed already. We're fighting to get it amended.

As far as lead in the tree goes, if we're talking about lead from the soil, there is nothing that can be done anyway. You can sue the person who cut the tree, but you can't sue the One who made the soil.

Next parents will be charged with child abuse for allowing their children to play in the mud.

I am truly apalled that so many contaminates are finding their way to our children. Yes, children are getting sick, people of all walks are getting cancer. The majority of the lead however is coming from overseas, and from what I can tell, this law is not solving that problem at all. I've always thought they should do something about this, but this is not what I had in mind. They banned lead from housepaint years ago. I don't see a law saying all paints had to be tested, just that lead could not be used in the paint. How hard is that. There should not be lead in our paints, or our fabrics. Entities adding lead to products, even adult products without disclosing the information such as in the case of lead pencils, should be fined, jailed, whatever, but to have every item tested at an exuberant cost. It doesn't solve anything. If someone wants to intentionally poison our children, they will add it after it's been tested. Really.

Lead should not be added to children's products, but we cannot keep them from touching wood, trees or soil. The amount in our soil is transfered into the plants we eat, the same as it's transfered into the tree. Start building your bubble now.

[JCThompsonArtStudio]

Lead levels in wood are high in industrialized areas.

[MooreMagnets]

Well - we are all up the creek then -

The CPSIA exempted unfinished wood the other day

[Former_Member]

RitualBath says:
If this gets passed it is just the begining of regulations that will kill the cottage industry
****************************8

It already HAS passed. It goes into effect February 10, with it getting stricter this summer; and even more stricter with lower ppm lead count requirements in the coming years (according to NPG.org).

[softandscrubby]

Last I knew the wood, cotton, silk, wool, etc. was to be voted on. Has it been voted on already and passed for sure?

[Former_Member]

So, it really depends where the wood came from. Also, if the wood had been previously painted and he scrapped it, stripped it and reused it, that would be cause for lead in the actual wood.

Component testing is a fair way to approve our items. If the wood and the paint were certified to meet lead standards, it wouldn't be an issue... his final product would, as well.

[Former_Member]

it's NSF.org. Mercy, went to the other site, and that wasn't it. LOL

[JCThompsonArtStudio]

There is a 30-day public comment session before it can be included or excluded.

[Former_Member]

I'm probably going to get rammed for this, but why was he allowed to put the wood bird into his mouth? I'm really weird about things like that. My kids did not play with my keys, or my cell phone, or things that were porous like wood. In the mouth. I don't use wood cutting blocks for fear of bacteria and I sterilize, probably to the point of being strange.

I hope your nephew comes away from this okay.

[Former_Member]

softandscrubby says:
Last I knew the wood, cotton, silk, wool, etc. was to be voted on. Has it been voted on already and passed for sure?
*************************

I meant the actual CPSIA has passed already. According to the CPSC, they've excempted a few things from the act/law.

[JCThompsonArtStudio]

Well he was allowed to put it in his mouth because it was sold as one of those wooden pacifier toys.

It's my sister and b-i-l's first child. I think they learned a very hard lesson.

[softandscrubby]

What I meant was as of Friday, no natural materials were actually exempt yet. These exemptions have to be voted on.

[JCThompsonArtStudio]

And there is a 30-day public comment session. So you can submit comments for a few more weeks

[Former_Member]

Great post - it warmed my heart as I have been met with a shrug of the shoulders when I explain why I am not making any new inventory. Thanks for posting.

[Former_Member]

wooden pacifiers are usually more effective for teething at the molars.

hahah, i just learned that today.

i've been googling... i should be sewing, tho.