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February 2, 2009

Lead regulations for kids' items delayed

By The Mainebiz News Staff

Controversial new regulations requiring all children's products to be tested for lead have been delayed, after small businesses in Maine and elsewhere said the requirements could force them to shut down.

The regulations were supposed to take effect Feb. 10, but the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission voted to delay enforcement for a year, according to a press release from the commission. The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, passed last August, requires manufacturers and retailers of children's items to have those items tested and certified to have no more than 600 parts per million total lead content, a process that some small Maine manufacturers, crafters and retailers said would be too expensive to implement and force them out of business. Though the testing and certification requirements have been postponed, the commission still requires that any products sold meet the current safety requirements.

The postponement gives the commission additional time to finalize the regulations and determine whether certain materials and products will be exempt, according to the release. The commission will vote on whether to reinstate the testing and certification requirements on Feb. 10, 2010.

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