Many of us in the US book selling community have been concerned about recent legislation that was intended to offer new safety standards for children’s products.
The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) was created to address concerns about harmful substances, such as lead, found in children’s toys being sold in the US.  The wording of the law lead to a flurry of blogs, petitions, and a general panic that sellers of used children’s items, including books, would be required to certify that the item was lead free.  Expensive chemical testing requirements would have effectively ended the sale of used children’s books.

Used children’s books have been a staple of budget conscious parents and book collectors alike.  The requirements would have devastated the used children’s book business, which could have been an epic tragedy.

Fortunately one of our bookselling community recently let us know that the US Consumer Product Safety Commission has released  a new document clarifying these regulations which exempts sellers of used items from testing requirements.

Those of us who have dedicated our lives to the preservation of books are relieved to learn that used children’s books will no longer be viewed as toxic waste.