Conformity Magazine - December 2007 - (Page 10) NewsBreaks CPSC Head Rejects Proposals to Strengthen Agency The head of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has called for Congress to reject proposed legislation that would increase staffing levels by 20% and double the agency’s annual budget over the next seven years. According to a report in the New York Times, Nancy A. Nord, the acting chairwoman of the CPSC, has written two separate letters to Congressional lawmakers requesting that they not approve the bulk of legislation intended to strengthen the agency in the wake of the recent massive product safety recalls for toys manufactured in China. Nord reportedly opposes provisions in the legislation that would increase to $100 million the maximum penalties for violations of product safety regulations. The CPSC is currently authorized to issue monetary penalties of up to $1.8 million, but Nord has separately proposed increasing that cap to $10 million. According to the Times report, Nord expressed concern in her letters to Congress that increasing the maximum fine to $100 million “may have the undesired consequence of firms, as a precautionary measure, flooding the agency with virtually every consumer complaint and incident,” and that the agency would be so overwhelmed by complaints that “true safety issues would go unrecognized in the process.” Nord is also reportedly critical of provisions in the Congressional legislation that would increase the agency’s authority to police the marketplace, and which would give state prosecutors the authority to enforce federal consumer safety laws. Reaction to Nord’s position from consumer advocates has been swift. Ellen Bloom, the director of federal policy at Consumers Union, commented in the Times report “it was remarkable to send a letter like that to a committee, when you’re in dire straits and you need increased funding.” The document also discusses Canada’s current regulations for RF fields, and specifically addresses questions regarding RF exposure limits for transmitting base stations and handheld devices, such as cell phones. Our readers can view the complete text of Canada’s FAQs on radio frequency fields at www.conformity.com/1210. FDA Updates List of Standards for Premarket Reviews The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued notice of changes in its list of industry standards that manufacturers can use to demonstrate compliance with the agency’s requirements for certain devices. The changes, which were published in September in the Federal Register, include the addition of 24 new standards to the FDA’s list of recognized standards, as well as the correction, revision or withdrawal of nearly 200 other standards. The Food and Drug Administration Modernization Act of 1997 allows the agency to recognize consensus standards developed by national and international organizations in satisfying portions of medical device premarket review applications. Canada Issues FAQs on Radio Frequency Fields Canada’s government agencies dealing with industry and health have issued an extensive list of “frequently asked questions” (FAQs) to address issues related to the potential risk to the public from exposure to radio frequency (RF) fields. The FAQ document, jointly developed by Health Canada and Industry Canada, provides basic information on the nature of RF and the biological effects associated with exposure to RF fields. DiLbert: © Scott Adams/Dist. by United feature Syndicate, inc. reprinted with permission. 10 Conformity DeCember 2007 http://www.conformity.com/1210
For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.