WebMemo22
Published by The Heritage Foundation
No. 1915
May 6, 2008
This paper, in its entirety, can be found at:
www.heritage.org/Research/Regulation/wm1915.cfm
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Consumer Product Safety Database Poses Risks
Andrew M. Grossman
The panic over lead-contaminated toys revealed
a serious shortcoming in safety efforts: Consumers,
particularly parents, lack trusted sources to turn
to for detailed information on the safety of the
products they have in their homes. The Senate’s
proposed solution is to create a government-run
database of all product safety complaints and com-
ments made by any individual, group, or company.
This proposal could actually have a negative impact
on safety, because it would put the Consumer Prod-
uct Safety Commission (CPSC) in the position of
having to examine all submissions for their accuracy
or truthfulness, a great burden on an already over-
stretched agency, or allow the database to include
false information that may cause panics and under-
mine trust in the whole system. Even worse, a gov-
ernment database could crowd out more effective
solutions from the market. Rather than rush into a
half-baked, possibly counterproductive scheme,
Congress should follow the lead of the House and
take the time to give this complex proposal the
attention and study that it requires.
A Government-Run Database. Heading into
conference, the House and Senate CPSC reform
packages contain very different product-safety data-
base provisions that will have to be reconciled before
final passage, which is expected by the end of July.
The Senate’s legislation requires the CPSC to cre-
ate “a publicly available searchable database” that
includes “any reports of i