Barring a reprieve, regulations set to take effect next month could force thousands of clothing retailers and thrift stores to throw away trunkloads of children’s clothing.
The law, aimed at keeping lead-filled merchandise away from children, mandates that all products sold for those age 12 and younger — including clothing — be tested for lead and phthalates, which are chemicals used to make plastics more pliable. Those that haven’t been tested will be considered hazardous, regardless of whether they actually contain lead.
“They’ll all have to go to the landfill,” said Adele Meyer, executive director of the National Assn. of Resale and Thrift Shops.
(H/T Rod Dreher
Erin Manning makes a good point in the comment section of Rod Dreher’s post saying….
So while only toys and child care articles might (though it’s not clear) be subject to the phthalates ban, *all* consumer products “designed or intended primarily for children 12 years of age or younger” are supposed to be subject to the mandatory third-party testing. The law is written so vaguely that some used bookstores which carry children’s books, as well as some small homeschool curricula providers, are wondering if they are also supposed to test their products before selling them–in which case, they’ll have to stop carrying materials for children under 12 or go out of business altogether.
Anything for the children, no matter what it costs. This country is insane.