CPSC Announces Recall of "Big Rex and Friends" Cloth Books Due to High Lead Content
The Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with St. Martin's Press LLC, of New York, has announced a voluntary recall of "Big Rex and Friends" cloth books due to high levels of lead content.
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(The cloth books were sold at Barnes & Noble, Toys "R" Us, Amazon, Borders and other bookstores and retailers nationwide from May 2004 through October 2009. About 204,000 units are being recalled.)
Plastic Red Dot Sewn Into Book Has High Lead Content
CPSC states that a plastic red dot sewn in the book contains high levels of lead. As pictures posted to CPSC's website convey, the plastic dot is fairly large, serving as the main focal point of at least one of the book's pages.
According to CPSC sources, the plastic red dot does not meet the lead content limits for children's products set by the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (CPSIA).1
CPSC Is Enforcing CPSIA Lead Content Limits
CPSC sources add that while most of its lead-related recalls over the past year have involved infringements of the limits on lead in paint and surface coatings, CPSC is, in fact, enforcing the CPSIA lead content limits for children's products.
Not All Book Components are Exempt from Lead Content Limits
Note that an August 2009 CPSC final rule determined that certain materials or products - including certain paper, textiles, and printing inks - do not exceed the CPSIA lead content limits for children's products and are therefore exempt from the CPSIA testing and certification requirement for lead content.
Even though the final rule exempts many materials typically found in books, even cloth books, it does not exempt parts such as the plastic red dot found in the "Big Rex and Friends" books. It also does not relieve any material from actually complying with the lead content limits.
1The CPSIA (enacted as Public Law 110-314 on August 14, 2008) imposes progressive limits on lead content in consumer products designed or intended primarily for children 12 and under such that: (i) on February 10, 2009, children's products with more than 600 ppm of total lead content by weight in any accessible part became banned hazardous substances; (ii) on August 14, 2009, the allowable lead content limit in such products decreased to 300 ppm; and (iii) on August 14, 2011, if determined feasible by CPSC, the limit will decrease to 100 ppm.
CPSC press release (dated 01/08/10) available at http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml10/10105.html