|
|
Post by canna on Jul 9, 2009 6:15:11 GMT -5
A very nice local resale shop, run by a large local hospital, has changed it's donation rules. They will no longer take ANYTHING for children.
NO toys, stuffed animals, clothes,baby items (car seats, strollers, etc), childrens books, shoes or anything else for children.
They now have stated that these items have "a high lead content", and may be harmful to children. A decision made by the hospital board members. !!
This shop had a very nice childrens section, clean and neaty displayed with big selection, and a lot of parents and teachers shopped there for bargains. All gone...
So nothing at all for children now.
I think they really went overboard with this.
And, they've had a lot of complaints about this policy change too.
|
|
|
|
Post by lizziejeen on Jul 9, 2009 7:11:16 GMT -5
It's because of that new CPSIA lead law. Everything for children under 12 is now assumed to have lead in it unless proven otherwise. It is really idiotic!  |
|
|
|
Post by canna on Jul 9, 2009 7:33:40 GMT -5
It's like they have mindset visions of some horrible sweatshop manufacturer somewhere with big paint buckets of deadly LEAD just painting everything with it.
|
|
Blackswan
Banned
Joined: October 2008
Posts: 6,388
|
Post by Blackswan on Jul 9, 2009 13:53:13 GMT -5
Wow! That is crazy. Why would they assume everything has lead? Innocent until proven guilty!
|
|
|
|
Post by AnnieOkie on Jul 9, 2009 13:58:27 GMT -5
Unfortunately, these days there are too many parents that would sue a shop if they bought something there that even had a trace of lead in it. I suppose these places are just covering themselves from foolish law suits. Sad for people who really need a bargain.  |
|
|
|
Post by notsomessyshell on Jul 9, 2009 14:38:20 GMT -5
It is a sign of the times we are living in. It is sad that the ones who really need it may be the ones who suffer the most. I agree that they could be open to a lawsuit so better to be safe than sorry in a business manner.
I had some stuff to donate, I will have to check here and see what is accepted and what is not.
|
|
|
|
Post by annieblue on Jul 9, 2009 16:10:52 GMT -5
Doesn't the new lead law apply only to children's items made & sold prior to a certain year?
Regardless, the new stuff is more & more being made up to current standards & will eventually make its way to the secondary markets, so it will be a lull until then, yes, but there is light at the end of the tunnel.
Of course it will take a good long while before the quantity of things available will grow to what we used to have to choose from, but still - it will come.
This law caused sheer panic in the vintage & antique toy community, due to collectors & dealers having no idea how it would effect them. I'm still not sure if/how all of that was sorted out.
Our local children's resale shops have closed down here too, & I used to enjoy visiting them from time to time to find good used toys for grandson (now 2 grandsons) to have here at my house. And what about yard sales & such? Are toys off limits there too?
|
|
|
|
Post by gifted on Jul 9, 2009 16:25:31 GMT -5
In Oregon, they had pulled all of the plastic children's toys a while back. Another shopper said it was because of the phtalates in the plastic (spelling doesn't look right!) The funny thing is that there is still plenty of plastic drinking glasses.
I think it is ridiculous to regulate so much! There will always be risks in things. There is a free lead prevention program that I have attended, and there are lead test kits. Concerned parents can be educated about the hazards. And if they don't care to educate themselves, there will always be hazards. And you can't ever completely protect people from their own stupidity!
Maybe we need to make people take a test before they become a parent.
SG
|
|
nevermore
New Member
Joined: January 2009
Posts: 25
|
Post by nevermore on Jul 9, 2009 19:19:29 GMT -5
It's sad. I couldn't even get my local health department to test our house when we bought it. They only test if your child has already tested and had high levels.
Our area still has resale shops. Children outgrow clothes and toys way too quickly and families with multiple children often can't buy all new stuff.
Oh, and a candlemaker cannot legally buy lead wicks in the US, but an importer can import candles and sell them without knowing that they have lead cored wick. To check and see if a candle has lead wick, see if the wick will leave a mark on a piece of paper like a pencil.
|
|
|
|
Post by eagle on Jul 9, 2009 20:25:48 GMT -5
Doesn't the new lead law apply only to children's items made & sold prior to a certain year? Regardless, the new stuff is more & more being made up to current standards & will eventually make its way to the secondary markets, so it will be a lull until then, yes, but there is light at the end of the tunnel. Of course it will take a good long while before the quantity of things available will grow to what we used to have to choose from, but still - it will come. This law caused sheer panic in the vintage & antique toy community, due to collectors & dealers having no idea how it would effect them. I'm still not sure if/how all of that was sorted out. Our local children's resale shops have closed down here too, & I used to enjoy visiting them from time to time to find good used toys for grandson (now 2 grandsons) to have here at my house. And what about yard sales & such? Are toys off limits there too? Actually it became unlawful in the US to sell any toys that do not meet the current standards. So resale shops cannot sell them, regardless of when they were made, according to the law. See this reference. The document is specifically written as a guide for resale, thrift & consignment shops. I certainly wouldn't expect a hospital owned enterprise to break a law such as this which is aimed at child safety. So I am not at all surprised about the new rules. It makes me wonder about the gift shop in our local hospital. As far as the question about this law and how does it affect the private individual having a garage or yard sale, I am not sure such a law would be 100% enforceable, but apparently even garage sales, yard sales, internet sales are all within the scope of this law. Therefore, if I ever have a garage sale, I won't be sellling any of my favorite childhood books or my granddaughter's things, either. |
|
|
|
Post by AnnieOkie on Jul 9, 2009 20:44:48 GMT -5
What's next......pencils?  |
|
|
|
Post by yearning4order on Jul 10, 2009 3:02:39 GMT -5
In Oregon, they had pulled all of the plastic children's toys a while back. Another shopper said it was because of the phtalates in the plastic (spelling doesn't look right!) The funny thing is that there is still plenty of plastic drinking glasses. That's interesting--somehow I missed all that. It seems in the last 30 days I've donated things and not had any issues, or any questions raised. We're also a "Waldorfy" family, so a lot of my daughter's toys are wood, most of her clothing is all cotton--but we have things like Littlest Pets, and other plastic goodies too. I'm a little baffled why a resale shop would pull *everything* for children. Most places I know won't take car seats at all. I seem to remember in the last 6 months reading an article that a bunch of Hanna Montanah toys from overseas were found to have high lead levels. It's not just the stuff that is painted bright red. It seems to me that those were manufactured in China, like the other high lead content items for kids that were flagged here in the states. |
|
|
|
Post by DJ on Jul 10, 2009 3:25:39 GMT -5
it's really not the resale shop's fault..they are trying to comply with a law that i think went completely overboard and if enforced will do far more damage than good.
unimpressed with the law and petitioned vocally against it.
|
|
|
|
Post by gifted on Jul 10, 2009 15:03:45 GMT -5
Y4O,
I normally don't look, and perhaps the toys are back again. And it was a customer's comment, not an employee, so it may be inaccurate.
Regulating sales cannot protect against all lead poisoning. I recently tested a deviled egg platter in my cupboard, and it tested positive for lead. Also, lead crystal is about 24% lead, if I remember correctly. Should the cupboard police go through our cupboards, smash all of our old dishes, and force us to buy new ones? Burn all of our heirloom toys?
Should we ban vegetable gardening, because there might be lead in the soil, if it is near a road with heavy traffic, or near a building previously painted with lead paint?
I read recently, that plumbing fixtures labeled as lead-free may contain up to 8% lead. I was shocked, because I did not even THINK to research lead in new fixtures. I had assumed it was long gone from plumbing manufacture. So, maybe in my instance the laws on paint and gasoline brought a false assurance to me about my new faucet. (I have not researched this any further, so don't take my word as Gospel on lead in fixtures.)
Lead is a naturally occurring metal, and was added to things because it had useful properties. And I believe that the saving of lives from cholera and other infectious disease has been far greater than the damage done by lead poisoning.
Spend the money on testing the children, and educating parents.
Besides, life IS risky.
SG
|
|
