New Rule Would Ban Some Baby Sleep Products Tied To Accidental Deaths
The Consumer Product Safety Commission aims to close a loophole that has allowed for an explosion in untested infant sleep products that conflict with federal safe sleep guidelines, The Washington Post reports. Other Biden administration news touches on OSHA, so-called Havana syndrome, HHS migrant shelters and more.
The Washington Post:
CPSC Votes To Ban Infant Inclined Sleepers Along With Other Unregulated Baby Sleep Aids
A federal safety agency on Wednesday banned a range of infant sleep products that currently slip between gaps in regulations, an attempt to fix a loophole blamed for at least 90 accidental deaths. The Consumer Product Safety Commission voted 3 to 1 to pass the new rule. It requires any product designed for sleeping babies to meet within one year the mandatory federal standards already in place for cribs, bassinets, bedside sleepers and play yards. Dozens of products currently for sale don’t fit into one of those categories, so they don’t need to measure up. Yet they are popular with parents. (Frankel, 6/2)
In other news from the Biden administration —
Bloomberg Law:
Biden To Revive OSHA’s Stalled Infectious Disease Rulemaking
The Biden administration plans to revive a stalled occupational safety rulemaking that would protect workers against all airborne infectious diseases, not just Covid-19, raising the question of whether it will be developed in lieu of an emergency standard specific to the coronavirus. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration intends to offer a draft version of an infectious disease rule in fiscal year 2022 and seek public comment, according to an OSHA spending proposal released alongside the White House’s fiscal 2022 budget request last week. That means a proposal could be released as soon as October, when fiscal 2022 begins. (Rolfsen, 6/2)
Politico:
State To Gather Diplomats’ Health Details In Response To Havana Syndrome
The State Department is rolling out a voluntary new program to gather diplomats’ baseline health information before they head to overseas posts, according to a State Department cable reviewed by POLITICO. It’s part of the department’s response to a wave of mysterious injuries that have harmed scores of U.S. officials in recent years — known as “Havana syndrome.” A group of American diplomats wrote last week to Brian McKeon, the State Department’s chief operating officer, saying the department has not taken their ailments seriously, NBC News reported. (Swan, 6/1)
The New York Times:
Texas Seeks To Evict Migrant Children From State Shelters
Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas has instructed state officials to end contracts with the Biden administration for shelters in the state that hold migrant children and teenagers who have been arriving alone, in record numbers, to the southwest border. The order could affect thousands of migrant children waiting to be united with family members or other sponsors in the United States, and could create a new public relations challenge for President Biden. (Sullivan, 6/2)
The Washington Post:
Biden’s Nonsensical Claim About Alzheimer’s And Hospital Beds
The president claimed that within 15 years, every hospital bed would be occupied by Alzheimer’s patients. There’s no evidence for that. (Kessler, 6/3)
Axios:
Fauci: Aiming For A "Home Run" With AIDS Research
NIAID director Anthony Fauci is aiming to curb another epidemic: 40 years of HIV, a virus that has remained elusive to a vaccine. About 1.2 million people in America are living with HIV, but Fauci tells Axios the goal of ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030 may be achievable. (O'Reilly, 6/3)
