Bob McCarty Writes

Kids across the United States would be cheering if they paid any attention to the news coming out of the nation’s capitol.  “What news would they be cheering?” you ask.  Here it is:

The Consumer Product Safety Commission announced a two-year stay of enforcement of the lead content provisions of section 101(a) of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008, Public Law 110-314, for certain component parts and materials pertaining to bicycles, jogger strollers and bicycle trailers primarily intended for children 12 years and younger.

While kids were outside riding their bikes instead of celebrating the news, bicycle manufacturers, distributors and dealers were jumping for joy at the decision Commissioner Nancy Nord characterized as a “time out” for Congress and the CPSC.  Below is an excerpt of Nord’s statement about the stay:

The Notice of Stay of Enforcement of the lead provisions of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) with respect to children’s bicycles is our latest effort to bring common sense to a law having unintended and adverse consequences on both consumers and product sellers.  Although there is no evidence that riding bicycles presents a credible risk of lead poisoning, the inflexible nature of the CPSIA jeopardizes children’s access to new and used bicycles.

From the standpoint of the consumer, enforcement of the law as written by Congress would limit the availability and increase the costs of a product that is almost synonymous with childhood.  But most importantly, because lead adds to the strength of the metal used and has other useful attributes, enforcement of the law could adversely impact the safety of children’s bicycles, leading to more deaths and injuries.  A stay of enforcement is our only option to protect children.

To read Nord’s entire statement, click here.  To avoid lead poisoning, don’t lick your bike.