Brad Ashwell, Consumer Advocate

Dear Florida PIRG member,

The unfortunate news that millions of toys tainted with lead paint were recently recalled underscores several problems that we face as consumers, as parents and as citizens who rely on our government to enact consumer protections.

First, other countries, like China, have much lower safety standards than we do. Manufacturers in the United States cannot merely rely on relationships with and promises from foreign suppliers—they must trust, but verify that tough American standards are met.

Second, the federal agency we rely on to ensure that products for sale in our country are safe, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), is the little agency that couldn’t. They are understaffed, underfunded and lack sufficient authority.

When it comes to dangerous chemicals like lead in children’s products, we are overexposed, underregulated and very late to waking up and getting government and industry to do a better job protecting us. We need aggressive action at the federal level to beef up our regulatory agencies, and we should embrace action being taken at the local and state level.

Florida PIRG will continue to call for stronger product safety regulations. For the latest updates on this issue, visit our Web site where you can also sign up to receive e-mail alerts.