Dreamland Baby, a manufacturer and seller of weighted sleep blankets and swaddles, sued the Consumer Product Safety Commission, former CPSC Commissioner Trumka, HHS, and two HHS subagencies based on (1) the CPSC’s “Safe Sleep” guidance, advising against the use of such blankets and swaddles for infants; and (2) statements by HHS and Commissioner Trumka about […]
Category Archives: Product Safety
On May 8 and 9, President Trump attempted to fire the three Democratic members of the Consumer Protection Safety Commission. Today, represented by my colleagues at Public Citizen, those commissioners filed suit asking that the purported terminations be set aside. The press release is available at https://www.citizen.org/news/trump-firing-consumer-product-safety-commissioners-was-unlawful/ and the complaint is available at https://www.citizen.org/wp-content/uploads/ECF-1-Complaint-3.pdf.
The LA Times has published a December 5 letter from dozens of manufacturing and other industry trade associations to the incoming administration, providing a wishlist of “regulatory actions that will set the stage for industrial growth in the United States.” Although the list mostly demands a laissez faire approach to business, the coalition acknowledged “that […]
Environmental Health News reports that a “new U.S. Food and Drug Administration food program, focused on chemical safety, could be an important step to ensure the food we feed our families is safe from harmful chemicals.” The program “will specifically reassess which artificial chemicals are allowed in food.” The article is here.
In a unanimous decision issued yesterday, the CPSC held that Amazon is a “distributor” of certain unsafe products listed on its website, and sold by third-party sellers using the “Fulfilled by Amazon” program, and thus is responsible for recalls when those products are defective or fail to meet federal consumer product safety standards. The agency’s […]
Oregon enacted the Toxic-Free Kids Act, which directs the Oregon Health Authority to establish and maintain a list of high-priority chemicals of concern for children’s health. Manufacturers of consumer products with those chemicals to provide certain notices are required to publish notices, and, after several years, are prohibited from selling those products in the state. […]
The Environmental Protection Agency has finalized a ban on consumer uses of methylene chloride, a chemical that is widely used as a paint stripper but is known to cause liver cancer and other health problems. The EPA said its action will protect Americans from health risks while allowing certain commercial uses to continue with robust […]
The Department of Energy yesterday “finalized congressionally-mandated energy efficiency standards for residential cooking products that will reduce household utility costs while improving appliance reliability and performance. These standards—which reflect a joint recommendation from a wide range of stakeholders, including the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers, Consumer Federation of America, and energy efficiency advocates—will take effect […]
In a decision today, the DC Circuit vacated the CPSC’s safety standard for the operating cords on custom-made window coverings. Based on a finding that such cords pose a strangulation risk to young children, the rule, in the DC Circuit’s words, “essentially prohibit[ed] corded window products,” and the CPSC “set an aggressive timeline for industry […]
The Washington Post has done an analysis of National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data showing 736 U.S. crashes since 2019 involving Tesla cars operating in autopilot mode. According to this article by Faiz Saddiqui and Jeremy Merrill, that’s far more Tesla autopilot crashes than previously revealed. The article discusses these findings in some detail and […]