New Consumer Safety regulations - how will it affect Irish dance costuming?

Costuming is an enormous part of the competitive Irish dance arena - for better or not. We can say the results should be all about the dance, but TCs, moms and dancers all spend an inordinate amount of time thinking about that crucial next dress. Not to mention, the sale of the current dress to help fund said next dress.
Well, partially in reaction to last year's product-safety debacle involving imported Chinese items, the U.S. government has passed the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, which goes into effect Feb. 10.
The prohibition of lead and phthalates from prolonged contact with our children is important. But, as always, there are two sides and this law does seem so broad as to be detrimental to both small business and, ultimately, the environment.
It has far-reaching implications on both the production and sale of new and used products for children under the age of 12 - toys, furniture, jewelry, apparel and more. All materials used in the production of these items must be tested and may not contain more than 600 ppm of lead or any of several kinds of phthalates (a plasticizer).
While most large manufacturers can afford the testing of materials, small makers protest that they would never be able to afford to test the small batches of fabric, ribbon, plastic, etc. they use. Many of these people are artisans and/crafters who make unique and boutique items. Their businesses would be shut down, or at least banned from selling to anyone younger than a teen.
Additionally, resale outlets, such as consignment stores and eBayers, would be unable to test the materials involved in every item they sell for children. Owners of such businesses say the act would mean millions of children's items would end in landfills because they could neither be sold nor even donated to places such as the Goodwill or Salvation Army. And, of course, the resellers would lose huge portions of their own businesses by no longer being able to sell children's products.
According to Apparel News:
"Manufacturers, in order to comply with the law, must test every product detail, including each individual paint color, fabric, buttons, thread and rhinestones. Even if the same paint, zipper, fabric or buttons are used on a variety of different garments, each garment must be separately tested. Estimates put the cost of testing each garment between $600 and $1,500."

So, how does this affect Irish dance?
Well, how are dressmakers going to handle these regulations? Certainly, they cannot test all their materials for lead content. Crystals are one item that already has been mentioned as a likely problem. Surely some fabrics will be also - anything with sequins come to mind. Their highly plastic quality makes me wonder, as plastic and vinyl are both typical lead carriers.
Will getting a dress through U.S. customs become even more difficult? If so, will we in the U.S. have even fewer choices of where to have our dresses made? There are no "big-name" dressmakers here. No new Gavins, Phoebes or Elevations for the U13 crowd? Maybe the silver lining will be that someone in the U.S. will rise up and take a larger role?
Dressmakers already are talking about no longer making dresses for dancers younger than 12, and making sure that when they ship a dress it is clearly marked "Not intended for children under the age of 12." But what about a dress already under contract, or already in production? Feb 10 isn't very far away ...
As for used dresses, does that mean that the second-hand market for the dresses of younger dancers in the U.S. will no longer be able to sell online for fear of being caught and facing significant fines? If you've got a used dress for a younger dancer, now may be the time to get it sold.
Of course, the issue there is that everyone already else is trying to do the same thing. The number of new dress listings recently on Dance-Again for older dresses has been pretty significant. It seems the economic downturn has a lot of people looking deeper into the old dress bags under their beds.
And Irish Dance vendors likely will be affected as well. Those tiaras and pricey embellished headbands laden with crystals likely wouldn't meet the standard. What other products would be problematic?

It's a lot think about, particularly if you're a dressmaker or if you're getting ready to be in the dress hunt again. Here are some links to a few news stories on the topic:
New safety rules for children's clothes have stores in a fit (LA Times)
Upcoming CPSC Deadline Vexes Childrenswear Manufacturers (Apparel News)
When rules trump ingenuity (Seattle Times)
New law seems to ban resale of toys (Columbus Dispatch)
New law may hurt crafters at home (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

The Smart Mama blog also has a good explanation.

Finally, if you are affected, this group has formed a petition to alter the testing standard.
And for dressmakers, here's a link to information that will be required under the new law on labeling for all children's products manufactured.