are you fricking kidding me???

we have more lead in our air here in Cleveland than all the chinese clothing imports combined (which if you shop at anywhere other than resale - that is exactly what you are buying)... 

fricking genius... nOw what am I supposed to wear? fricking brilliant. 

FOLKS - DONT SHOP WALMART!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

tHAts the way to eliminate contamination in our clothing... 

please....

http://www.rallycongress.com/make-second-hand-kids-clothes-legal-/1471/s...

  It seems that we live in a time of gross stupidity.  If this is a real condition of this legislation, it is sad that we all find out after the fact.  So much legislation is complicated beyond human comprehension...it took me seconds to send in my rebuttal...I feel like I am living out the movie Brazil.

Is that why everybody in a certain nearby neighborhood  is trying to get  rid of their old clothes all of a sudden?  They're trying to unload everything before the deadline 02/10/09.  In other words, charity organizations will not be able to use the donations they get due to the lead content?  So what happens to the stuff if it can't be used or resold? 

  Less than a day--impressive:

Dear Ms. Mcshane:

Thank you for contacting me regarding H.R.4040, the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, specifically provisions setting a deadline to prohibit the manufacture and sale of children's products that contain lead and phthalates.

The negative health effects of both these substances have been extensively documented and studied. Research has found phthalates exposure linked to decreased fertility capacity in men, premature birth in women, and asthma symptoms in children. In 2005, a University of Rochester School of Medicine study found that pregnant women with high levels of phthalates in their urine were more likely to give birth to boys with birth defects.

Ingestion and inhalation of lead has long been known to cause damage to the nervous system, with young children especially vulnerable. Lead poisoning can cause blood and brain disorders, as well as gastrointestinal, reproductive, and kidney problems. Although the number of children with elevated blood lead levels has decreased over the past several decades, the treatment of lead poisoning accounts for the vast majority of the $43.4 billion spent on pediatric environmental disease.

To combat childhood exposure to these substances, Congress passed, and the President signed into law, H.R.4040 in the summer of 2008. Provisions of this law require that beginning February 10, 2009, manufacturers of children's products cannot sell children's products that violate lead standards or contain phthalates.

Since passage, many companies and individuals, particularly small manufacturers, have expressed concern that these requirements present a significant hardship. While they express agreement with the need to restrict lead and phthalates, they have asked for some aspects of the legislation to be re-evaluated.

I supported passage of H.R.4040 and strongly agree with the need to keep these dangerous substances away from children. The Consumer Product Safety Commission’s Office of General Counsel has also concluded that products containing high lead content cannot be sold after February 10, 2009. As it relates to phthalates, Congress created a consumer product safety standard which will apply to products manufactured after February 10, 2009. However, as Congress further examines this issue, I will work to see that this legislation does not adversely hurt Ohio’s small business and manufacturing community. Additionally, while I am not currently a member of the Senate Commerce Committee, which has primary jurisdiction over consumer product safety, I will share concerns I have received from constituents with relevant individuals. Thank you again for contacting me.

Sincerely,
Sherrod Brown

dont think the response he sent you was personalized, Laura:

Dear Ms. (XXXXinsert my name hereXXX):

Thank you for contacting me regarding H.R.4040, the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, specifically provisions setting a deadline to prohibit the manufacture and sale of children's products that contain lead and phthalates.

The negative health effects of both these substances have been extensively documented and studied. Research has found phthalates exposure linked to decreased fertility capacity in men, premature birth in women, and asthma symptoms in children. In 2005, a University of Rochester School of Medicine study found that pregnant women with high levels of phthalates in their urine were more likely to give birth to boys with birth defects.

Ingestion and inhalation of lead has long been known to cause damage to the nervous system, with young children especially vulnerable. Lead poisoning can cause blood and brain disorders, as well as gastrointestinal, reproductive, and kidney problems. Although the number of children with elevated blood lead levels has decreased over the past several decades, the treatment of lead poisoning accounts for the vast majority of the $43.4 billion spent on pediatric environmental disease.

To combat childhood exposure to these substances, Congress passed, and the President signed into law, H.R.4040 in the summer of 2008. Provisions of this law require that beginning February 10, 2009, manufacturers of children's products cannot sell children's products that violate lead standards or contain phthalates.

Since passage, many companies and individuals, particularly small manufacturers, have expressed concern that these requirements present a significant hardship. While they express agreement with the need to restrict lead and phthalates, they have asked for some aspects of the legislation to be re-evaluated.

I supported passage of H.R.4040 and strongly agree with the need to keep these dangerous substances away from children. The Consumer Product Safety Commission’s Office of General Counsel has also concluded that products containing high lead content cannot be sold after February 10, 2009. As it relates to phthalates, Congress created a consumer product safety standard which will apply to products manufactured after February 10, 2009. However, as Congress further examines this issue, I will work to see that this legislation does not adversely hurt Ohio’s small business and manufacturing community. Additionally, while I am not currently a member of the Senate Commerce Committee, which has primary jurisdiction over consumer product safety, I will share concerns I have received from constituents with relevant individuals. Thank you again for contacting me.

Sincerely,
Sherrod Brown

There should be a global registry of all products known to contain lead, and the US federal government and other governments that allowed production and distribution of lead should pay all costs to test products and maintain the registry.

 But, of course, that makes too much sense...and as impersonal as the response may be, it is a response...so I give Sherrod Brown that much credit.  Now, for action...I will write him with your suggestion Norm :)

  From a colleague:

http://www.ala.org/ala/alonline/currentnews/newsarchive/2009/January2009/leadlawstayed.cfm
Children’s Books Get One-Year Stay from Anti-Lead Law
Librarians can breathe a sigh of relief in the wake of a one-year stay of enforcement on having to test for lead in books geared to youngsters under the age of 12. The extension until February 10, 2010, puts an end to the nightmare scenario envisioned by some in the library community of having to either ban children from their facilities or cordon off the book collections in youth services areas until federal regulators concede that children’s literature complies with the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act.