Groups Call for Stepped-Up CPSC Activity

Five advocacy groups November 26 prodded CPSC. They pointed to two articles in preceding days in The Washington Post (on crib bumpers) and USA Today (on liquid nicotine dispensers), both of which raised questions about the adequacy, completeness, and speed of CPSC actions.

The groups were Consumer Federation of America, Consumer Reports, Kids In Danger, Public Citizen, and U.S. PIRG, They urged CPSC to ban bumpers, to do better with child nicotine enforcement, and to seek recalls of all inclined sleep products. They wrote:

"[S]erious concerns exist about the CPSC's inadequate actions in response to safety hazards associated with crib bumper pads and liquid nicotine. Our organizations also have concerns about the CPSC's lack of strong enforcement actions on dangerous infant inclined sleep products. The very least the CPSC can do is protect our nation's most vulnerable people, including infants and toddlers, from dangerous products currently on the market or in use."

They also called for congressional passage of HR 3170 to ban bumpers and HR 3172 to ban inclined sleepers.