How safe should consumers feel?
Consumers are safer than they used to be, but it's also my impression after coming into this job that people assume the government sets standards for a lot of things it doesn't.
What misconception is most common?
That we regulate the standards of all products. We don't. There are an awful lot of areas covered by voluntary standards like those of the Underwriters Laboratories. Almost all manufacturers of electrical products use the UL label or rely on the UL codes. It's a private organization, and its codes are not always limited to safety. Many are simply to establish technical standards or specifications.
Can you give another example of public misconception?
People have always thought, for instance, that the government would not allow the sale of unsafe toys. It was not until the formation of this commission that we actually made toy safety a top-priority item. Since then we have seen tremendous improvements. There are millions of toys on the market, so rather than try to deal with a specific product we put into effect the "Sharp Points-Sharp Edges" regulation so that, for example, toy trucks can no longer be made with sharp metal edges that really cut.
What else are you working on in the area of toy safety?
We recently issued a "Small Parts" regulation for children under 3. Kids that age tend to put almost anything into their mouths, so we don't want toys for them on the market with lots of little pieces they can choke on.
Was that the problem with the Battlestar Galactica missile launcher?
Yes. It fired a small missile which could lodge in the child's throat and cause strangulation. When one child died, the company that manufactured the toy, Mattel, called us and we worked out an effective way to recall the launcher. The company voluntarily withdrew it from the market and offered to take the toy back and replace it with another toy. This was a highly commendable and socially responsible act on the part of Mattel.
What else have you done to protect children?
We put a baby crib standard into effect that narrowed the distance between the slats in a crib and the distance between the mattress and the base of the crib so that infants couldn't get their heads caught. That has reduced strangulation and asphyxiation deaths by half.
How about kid-proof bottles?
The Poison Prevention Packaging Act applied to prescription medicines, certain over-the-counter drugs, household solvents, paint thinners—anything with acutely toxic ingredients. By child-proofing these bottles, poisonings have dropped by 250,000 and as many as 300 deaths have been prevented. One problem is that the arthritic, the old and the handicapped have trouble with these caps. Many people don't realize that manufacturers still make easy-to-open, non-childproof caps and that they only have to ask for them at the store.
Why are you now concerned about amusement park rides?
One ride did not have a backup system for the latch that is supposed to hold the passenger in. If the latch came open, the person could fall out. Several deaths occurred this way. Unfortunately, many of these rides are operated by gypsy companies that move from state to state. That makes it extremely difficult for anyone to keep a close eye on installation, maintenance, inspection and upkeep. Only five states have strict licensing arrangements for such rides, so the federal government must take the initiative.
Is a carnival ride a consumer product?
We've been taken to court on that very question, and the judge has yet to decide. We maintain that if we can't deal with the problem, who can? By the way, one state official estimates that amusement park rides carry more people per year than any other form of transportation except elevators.
What are some other top priorities on your list of consumer hazards?
High-rise CB antennas—the kind people put up next to their houses or mobile homes to increase their CB reception—are now the leading cause of electrocution in this country. While being installed, these unwieldy antennas swing in the wind and can come into contact with a power line. In one case four people were killed on the spot. Over 250 people die this way every year. The solution: to require that antennas be insulated. We're now working on that.
What else?
We are considering undertaking major tests of the burning characteristics of plastic furniture. I suspect a lot of it may be dangerous because of the fumes that are given off as it burns.
Are people safer from fire today than they have been in the past?
Probably not. The U.S. leads the Western industrialized democracies in fire deaths—7,500 a year. The fire load—the potential for a fire—in the average house has increased dramatically with modern construction. The use of flammable wallboarding instead of plaster, the installation of home insulation over old wiring systems, the increasingly heavy use of appliances—these all contribute to the risk.
How reliable are smoke detectors?
We have run into some smoke detectors that did not function, and in one case the smoke detector itself was a fire hazard because it was prone to short-circuiting. On the whole, however, smoke detectors now on the market are reliable, and it's critically important to have one or more in your home.
What other dangers around the home concern you?
Hot-water scalds. Many, many children are burned quite seriously, and some die from falling into tubs of hot water run directly out of the tap. Some hot-water heaters keep the water as high as 180° F. A split-second exposure to even 150° can result in severe burns. We are now trying to reduce the maximum temperature setting, which is also in keeping with the President's energy policy.
Do you consider the cost to the manufacturer when you pass new regulations?
Yes, of course. We do take into account the burden to the manufacturer, the remedy and the degree of safety weighed against the cost.
Has the commission changed its focus over the past six years?
In the beginning we concentrated on acute hazards—the accident, the immediate injury, the poisoning, etc. When you're dealing with ladders, you get concerned when they collapse under a person's weight. But do you get equally concerned when somebody who's had two or three cocktails climbs up there in the dark and falls off? These are two entirely different issues. We look at injuries, yes—but we also look at the relationship between the product and the human behavior. We cannot create a risk-free world because obviously people are going to use products in ways that were not intended. Now we are also turning to long-term latent chronic hazards like the possible cancer-causing asbestos in thousands of consumer products from hair dryers to caulking compound.
Isn't the unsafest thing in America the consumer?
Well, some people say the unsafest thing on the highway is the driver. But that doesn't address the fact that there are tens of thousands of automobile deaths on the highway that don't have to happen. Changing human behavior is a long-term and difficult problem. That doesn't mean we shouldn't do all we can in the meantime to protect us from ourselves.
Saved by the Bell Reunion
The hookups, the meltdowns, the memoires
The case reveals what was really going on what they think of each other now!
