Connecticut Senate Passes Toy Safety Bill
In response to myriad reports published in December noting the presence of asbestos in a number of popular holiday toys, the state senate of Connecticut has passed a key bill that would remove lead and asbestos from children’s toys starting as early as the middle of next year. Now that the bill has passed the Senate, it will go to Gov. M. Jodi Rell for her signature.
According to an article in The Courant, the bill would limit the amount of lead in products manufactured or sold after July 1, 2009. On the same date, it would become illegal to use asbestos in children’s toys, and paint that is sprayed on children’s products would need to meet certain standards.
“Now that the science has been allowed to emerge, policy makers have a responsibility to take immediate action to phase out bisphenol A and phthalates from common, everyday products like food and beverage containers,” said Sarah Uhl, coordinator of the Coalition for a Safe and Healthy Connecticut.
The presence of asbestos in toys like the CSI Fingerprinting Kit, which came under fire just before Christmas, has also been a huge issue for the state senate. As a matter of fact, senate members note that the issue was one of the most heavily lobbied of the year.
