OFFICIAL NEWS RELEASE
-
Oceanside, CA
(March 16, 2009) Leading Motocross Licensed Apparel and Accessories
brand Smooth Industries is proud to announce that all products required for lead
testing under the New CPSIA (Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act) which went
into effect February 10, 2009, have come back from the test facility complying
with all regulations. This means that customers can once again rest assured that
the Smooth Industries products they are buying for children are safe.
“It
was important to me that we take immediate action in regards to the latest test
requirements under the CPSIA” says company founder and president Mike Koger.
“Smooth Industries has created a niche in the motorcycle industry, not only as
the leader in Officially Licensed Apparel and Accessories, but more specifically
products geared towards kids. This obviously affects a large portion of our
product line and it was imperative that we provide our retail partners and loyal
customers the results they were looking for as quickly and as complete as
possible”, continued Koger.
Smooth Industries’ strong compliance to the
regulations is important because the new standards in force are much more strict
than they have been in the past.
The new CPSIA is aimed at further reducing children's exposure to
lead. A key component of the CPSIA is that consumer products which are intended
for children 12 and under cannot contain lead that holds more than 600 parts per
million in any accessible part. As many Motocross enthusiasts have already
discovered, this has had an enormous economic impact on the industry. Testing and possibly modifying products
will be quite costly for the motocross apparel and accessories
companies.
Thus what
started out as an act more geared towards safety proofing toys, apparel, and
other accessories, has now somehow managed to include strict regulations on
motorcycles and atv’s for kids ages 12 and younger. In fact, the Motorcycle
Industry Council predicts this could lead to a $1 BILLION loss in economic value
in 2009, for the entire industry.
This all at a time when motorcycle dealers are already feeling the pinch of the
downturned economy.
There is also a Guidance for complying with
Phthalates requirements included in the CPSIA which states that children's toys
and child care articles cannot contain more that 0.1% of six phthalates (DEHP,
DBP, BBP, DINP, DIDP, and DnOPA) regardless of when they were manufactured
(Phthalates are a group of chemicals; oily, colorless liquids that are used
among other things to make vinyl and other plastics soft and flexible), meaning
that everything that is now in stock, regardless of when it was manufactured, is
required to meet these new, stricter guidelines.
“We are happy to have this behind us,
however, what is important now is to work towards ending the ban on the sale and
manufacture of youth model ATV’s and motorcycles”, says Koger. “Motocross is
truly a family sport and this ban is not only troublesome for the industry but
it is flawed for the young kids the CPSC are trying to protect since this will
only encourage them to jump on larger sized motorcycles and risk serious injury.
It is our hope that the CPSIA will re-work the ban before too much damage is
done to the industry and to motocross enthusiasts young and
old”.
About
Smooth:
Smooth Industries LLC is the leader in Officially Licensed
Motocross apparel and accessories using images and the likeness of the sports
biggest names including Jeremy McGrath, Chad Reed, Kevin Windham, Brian Deegan,
Monster Pro Circuit Kawasaki, Rockstar Makita Suzuki and more. It is our goal to
provide quality motocross themed products for fans of all ages. By giving them
fresh and innovative designs to express their passion for not only their
favorite riders and teams but the sport itself, we continue to aid in the
overall growth in the sport of motocross. For more information, please visit our
website at www.smoothindustries.com
Here are some quick links to
background information and ways you can help reverse this decision and support
your sport:
- Contact your
representatives in Congress by using the Take Action button in the
Issues
and Legislation section of the AMA
website.
- Write the
Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) directly to encourage them to exclude
youth model OHVs here.
- Click
here
for a page that includes suggested copy for a letter you can send to the
CPSC.