New Lead Laws Affect 2nd Hand Clothing Stores
Warning: This story takes more turns than a game of Twister. When Congress passed the law, which caps lead levels and other potentially dangerous substances, it said manufacturers must certify their products are safe. And not just toys, but clothes, books, blankets, you name it. That sent manufacturers, retailers, public libraries, even Ebay sellers scrambling because they’re liable if they sell tainted products. To ease concerns, the agency that will enforce the law said some products might be exempt. Or maybe not. All this confuses consumer Kathleen Lawrence.
Lawrence sits on the floor of her Birmingham-area home playing dolls with her daughters. The doll’s dress is secondhand, like most of the girls’ clothes.
“I would rather spend my money on other things: a vacation. It’s just, they don’t wear them that long. And I like them to look nice and I can’t afford the name brands.”
Lawrence worries the new law will make it harder to find good used clothes. And she’s not alone. Across the country thousands of resale shop owners say the law will hurt their cash-strapped customers and possibly put them out of business.
“Do we need to close our doors? Are we not going to be able to take clothes in?”
Karol Leggett of Kidz Closet Consignment in Vestavia Hills just doesn’t know. So she’s making changes.
She pulls out a blue shirt with glittering, silver rhinestones. Faced with the possibility of a $100,000 fine, Leggett will no longer accept anything that might contain lead.
“We have been getting thousands of contacts at the agency through emails, through phone calls, through visits of people pleading with us.”
“Our hands are tied very tightly and even if we could wiggle our fingers we can’t make the magic happen here in the timeframe that has been set up by the legislation.”
Last week, the Commission created a little wiggle room and issued a one year stay on testing and enforcement requirements. But the reprieve doesn’t exempt stores. Garment industry consultant Kathleen Fasanella says starting Tuesday it’s illegal to sell untested items.
“Basically, all of these products, millions and millions of dollars in products are just going to have to be destroyed. And that will bury any company.”
In a survey of children’s product manufacturers, 70% said the law would put them out of business.
Back on her living room floor, Kathleen Lawrence is banking on entrepreneurial spirit.
“Surely somebody’s going to start a little business of their own – a clothes swap. People find ways to meet their needs. We’ll go on the black market for our kids clothes.”
It might not come to that. This week, South Carolina Republican Senator Jim DeMint introduced legislation to exempt thrift stores, yard sales and consignment shops. If passed, stores wouldn’t have to throw out millions of dollars of their existing product.
Hear from one children’s advocacy group which supports the legislation.
How Alabama Power kept bills up and opposition out to become one of the most powerful utilities in the country
In one of the poorest states in America, the local utility earns massive profits producing dirty energy with almost no pushback from state regulators.
No more Elmo? APT could cut ties with PBS
The board that oversees Alabama Public Television is considering disaffiliating from PBS, ending a 55-year relationship.
Nonprofit erases millions in medical debt across Gulf South, says it’s ‘Band-Aid’ for real issue
Undue Medical Debt has paid off more than $299 million in medical debts in Alabama. Now, the nonprofit warns that the issue could soon get worse.
Roy Wood Jr. on his father, his son and his new book
Actor, comedian and writer Roy Wood Jr. is out with a new book -- "The Man of Many Fathers: Life Lessons Disguised as a Memoir." He writes about his experience growing up in Birmingham, losing his dad as a teenager and all the lessons he learned from various father figures throughout his career.
Auburn fires coach Hugh Freeze following 12th loss in his last 15 SEC games
The 56-year-old Freeze failed to fix Auburn’s offensive issues in three years on the Plains, scoring 24 or fewer points in 17 of his 22 league games. He also ended up on the wrong end of too many close matchups, including twice this season thanks partly to questionable calls.
In a ‘disheartening’ era, the nation’s former top mining regulator speaks out
Joe Pizarchik, who led the federal Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement from 2009 to 2017, says Alabama’s move in the wake of a fatal 2024 home explosion increases risks to residents living atop “gassy” coal mines.
