CPSC chair seeks delay on lead ban

The acting chair of the Consumer Product Safety Commission wants to delay enforcement of the lead law on youth off-highway vehicles.

CPSC chair Nancy Nord released a statement saying she will not support a petition to exempt youth motorcycles and ATVs from the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act which bans the sale of children’s goods containing lead. Nord says the wording of the CPSIA does not give the CPSC the flexibility to grant such exemptions.

Nord also notes that the ban on youth OHVs may have an adverse affect on consumer safety because it may result in children riding vehicles designed for adults. As a result, Nord says she will direct CPSC staff to delay enforcement of the lead limitations in the CPSIA for a year. Nord says the 12-month delay will give Congress the opportunity to amend the CPSIA. The delay would also give the powersports industry the chance to change their products so they comply with the CPSIA’s requirements.

Nord also says that it may not be possible to completely “get the lead out” of some products without compromising the structural integrity of their materials.

Nord asks her colleague, CPSC Commissioner Thomas Moore to support her motion to delay enforcement of the CPSIA’s lead ban.

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