Kohl-Welles seeks additional protections from unsafe toys

OLYMPIA – Lead paint chips. Asbestos powder. Acid leaking from failed batteries.

While such hazards should be more closely associated with exposure to run-down construction sites from a bygone era than with today’s toys and other children’s products, they are just a few of the reasons why millions of toys have been recalled federal Consumer Product Safety Commission over the past several months.

But recalls alone are not enough to ensure children’s safety, says Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles, D-Seattle, who is seeking additional protections for Washington parents and children.

“The safety of children’s products is a major concern of any parent with young children,” said Kohl-Welles. “It should be a major concern – and a top priority to be addressed this session – for the Legislature as well.”

Today, Kohl-Welles introduced legislation. SB 6444, providing detailed instructions for retailers to follow in case a product they carry is recalled by the federal government or by manufacturers, or if it fails to meet federal safety standards or voluntary safety standards. Kohl-Welles’ bill includes procedures regarding notice, posting and removal from shelves, and specific penalties for failure to comply. Her legislation would also prohibit the use of banned children’s products in licensed child care providers in Washington. The Department of Early Learning will provide information to the child care providers on the banned products.

Nationwide, almost ten thousand infants are injured in unsafe cribs every year. Over sixty thousand children under the age of four are rushed to the emergency room due to injuries from nursery products, and another two hundred thousand children are rushed to the emergency room due to toy injuries.

So far, eight states – Illinois, Arkansas, Michigan, Louisiana, Rhode Island and New Jersey – have prohibited the sale or lease of recalled products or their use in child care. Vermont prohibits the sale or lease of dangerous children's products, but does not include the child care provision, while Missouri has just the child care provision in statute.

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