The United Steelworkers (USW) says that it will take more than a vigilant U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to protect consumers from the onslaught of toxic imports.

And while the USW is happy to see U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., working to revitalize the CPSC, it would prefer to see U.S. trade policy changed.

“We applaud Dick Durbin’s initiative to improve regulation of these dangerous products,” USW International President Leo Gerard said in a statement released on Wednesday. “But testing products after they come into the country is not a panacea. Until our nation directly addresses the problem of unregulated trade, we will continue to be forced into a position of frantically putting out fires as they erupt in our neighborhoods.”

The USW has launched a nationwide campaign, supported by an array of consumer and environmental groups, reaching out to consumers in their neighborhoods to educate families about how to screen for lead contaminants in toys and other products. The USW is also offering, while they last, free “Get the Lead Out” screening kits.

“The outreach comes as consumers are dealing with a massive list of recalled lead-laced and defective Chinese-made toys, including more than 20 million recalled by the world’s largest toy maker, Mattel Inc.,” the statement said. “Earlier this year, U.S.-based Wal-Mart Stores Inc. recalled more than 10,000 vinyl bibs made in China because they contained lead. Other toxic imports include defective tires, counterfeit circuit breakers and auto brakes, lipstick, toothpaste, seafood, children’s lunch boxes, pet foot, even Cub Scout merit badges.”

“U.S. trade policy has essentially undone decades of citizen activism to protect consumers from dangerous products,” Gerard said. “We’ve allowed toxic toys and other products to come in through the back door, free of regulation but bearing an enormous cost to working families.”

The USW represents more than 850,000 workers in the U.S. and Canada employed in the industries of metals, rubber, chemicals, paper, oil refining, and the service sector. For more information visit www.usw.org.

Posted 12/6/2007