Regulators postpone testing of toys for lead

A U.S. panel on Friday delayed for a second time the requirement that children's products, including toys, be tested for lead content.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission voted to delay the requirement until 2011. The panel in January voted to push back for a year toy-testing rules that were to take effect earlier this year, following complaints from manufacturers and toy sellers that the rules were confusing and expensive.

The latest delay put off a requirement that some products intended for children up to age 12 be tested for lead content by third-party labs recognized by the CPSC, rather than by manufacturers or suppliers.

The commission will implement third-party lead testing requirements for products including bicycle helmets, bunk beds and infant rattles on Feb. 10. U.S. manufacturers and importers already must comply with federal lead limits for children's products.

After a spate of recalls in 2007 of toys that had dangerous levels of lead or posed choking hazards, Congress passed the first overhaul of consumer protection laws in almost two decades in 2008.

-- Bloomberg News