CPSC Stopping More Imports

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CPSC Enforcement Highlights

The CPSC continues to take steps to agressively enforce product safety compliance at U.S. ports. The agency reported that it stopped nearly three million units of consumer products that violated U.S. safety rules from reaching consumers in the 3rd quarter of fiscal year 2012. This was nearly three times the number of violative units stopped in the previous two quarters combined.

Accroding to the agency, from October 2011 through June 2012, CPSC investigators and agents from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) prevented about four million units of violative and hazardous imported products from entering the domestic stream of commerce and ending up on store shelves.

According to a joint release issued by CPSC and CBP, during the past four years, at least 2,400 different toys and children's products, making up more than two million individual units, have been stopped at the ports because of the presence of safety hazards or the failure to meet federal safety standards.

Toys and children’s products continued to make up the bulk of products stopped by CPSC investigators and CBP agents. Products with levels of lead exceeding federal limits topped the group and were followed by those with phthalate levels in excess of federal limits. Toys and other articles with small parts that present a choking hazard for children younger than 3 years were also targeted.

CPSC has been screening products at ports since it began operating in 1973. The agency intensified its efforts in 2008 with the creation of an import surveillance division and again in 2011 with the creation of the Office of Import Surveillance.

DISCLAIMER: Because of the generality of this update, the information provided herein may not be applicable in all situations and should not be acted upon without specific legal advice based on particular situations.

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