Why Toy Retailers and Manufacturers Are Relieved ... For The Moment

Good news for worried toy retailers and manufacturers in Portland and elsewhere.

Last week, the federal Consumer Product Safety Commission voted to delay the testing mandate for lead and other hazardous materials in children's products for another year.

Many local retailers had begun a coalition to draw awareness to their concerns, which included fears that the requirements would prove too costly for small businesses.

Kara Larson, owner of Grasshopper Toys, believed the law would put, “thousands of people out of business.” Today, Larson is more optimistic. “We still have a lot of work to do, but it's a positive step.”

To read more about the commission decision, go here (PDF). And here's a letter (PDF) sent last month to federal officials from U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) on the same matter.