I'll admit I am not familiar with any testimony or other evidence relating to children's books or books as a whole. But it strikes me that to ban a product (and, yes, this is essentially banning books), the burden of establishing a health hazard must rest with the agency, not a library or used book store.
No one wants to downplay the danger lead poses to children. But this isn't a situation where kids are eating lead paint chips off walls or sucking on toys made or coated with lead. If pre-1985 children's books are so dangerous, why aren't baby boomers like me who grew up with a book always in hand dying from lead poisoning? If it's the ink that is the problem, then I've been absorbing lead for close to five decades with no ill effects (although some may claim they see a mental impact). It certainly seems that in a desire to respond to the lead scare from products imported from China, Congress again failed to grasp the ramifications of its legislation and an administrative agency isn't going to yield any power it's been granted.
Oh, by the way, if you want to raise a stink with your U.S. Senator or Representative, good luck. The bill passed the House 424-1 and the Senate 89-3.
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