Keeping Toys & Children Safe During the Holiday Season

Rep. Wasserman Schultz discussed federal regulations that have made toys safer

Hollywood, Fla. – Over the next week, children all over South Florida will be opening up their presents.  Thanks to the passage of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (H.R. 4040), parents can rest assured that the toys they give their children will be safer than in years past. 

The federal safeguards that are now in effect include: establishing the lowest lead content and lead paint limits in the world; converting the voluntary toy standards into mandatory standards; requiring third party testing and certification of toys designed or intended primarily for children 12 years old and younger; and working with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to track shipments in transit from other countries, in order to seize dangerous imported toys.

On Wednesday, December 21, Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-20) held a news conference at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital, where she discussed how this law has succeeded. 

She was joined by Dr. David Hooke, an Emergency Room Physician, who discussed the cases he’s seen.  Scott Wolfson from the Consumer Product Safety Commission explained what the agency is doing to ensure safety.