February 12, 2009

Some local business owners are fighting to get the nation's new lead testing laws changed. The new stricter law was supposed to go into effect this week. But, government officials decided to not enforce it until next February. The catch though is that businesses are not supposed to sell things that don't meet the new tougher requirements.

Some local business owners we spoke with say they are all for regulating lead in products. But, they say having to pay for all the testing the law mandates right now would put them out of business. Petit Bebe on the Downtown Mall sells children's clothing and toys. The owner says she works very hard to make sure her store sells things made by locals. One of the clothing lines she sells is Treehouse Togs. Everything in the clothing line from belts to skirts is made by Charlottesville resident Becca Covert. Covert says the way she understands the law it would cost her nearly twelve hundred dollars to get one skirt she made tested in an independent lab. And that test would only cover one size of the skirt. Kim Kuttner, the store's owner says she and her vendors are both still confused about exactly what the new law requires them to do. Covert says has written to 5th District Congressman Tom Perriello to try and get the law changed.

Kuttner says none of her customers have asked about the new lead law. But, she says she is just now starting to get letters from her vendors saying as far as they know their products meet the new requirements. The new law only applies to stores that sell new clothing and toys for kids. Under one of its loopholes second hand stores don't have to test their products for lead. But, they do have to know if what they are selling goes over the limits set by the new law.