Many companies say they would be able to comply with the law better if it allowed them to test components of garments, such as buttons or thread, before assembling them. Others say they need more time and can't cover the costs of disposing of any garments that haven't been tested by Feb. 10, as the law instructs.
The safety commission is holding an open comment period until Jan. 30 on component testing, but a spokesman said it was unlikely that any final decision would be made by Feb. 10. It will also hold public meetings Thursday with national apparel and publishing groups.
Nicole Schmidt thinks she knows where all of this is going. The showroom owner has worked in the California Fashion Mart for decades, and she remembers the last hullabaloo over testing for children's clothing, when the government imposed strict flammability standards for children's pajamas in the 1970s.
The rules led manufacturers to make the sleepwear with a chemical called Tris, which was later found to be carcinogenic and was banned. This testing will have unforeseen consequences too, she said.
"It's totally normal to be careful about things," she said. "But this has reached the absurd."
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alana.semuels@latimes.com
