PEOPLE IN THE NEWS

Dr Elizabeth Towner, senior lecturer in community child health at the University of Newcastle, has been appointed as professor of child health at the new Centre for Child and Adolescent Health, a joint initiative of the Universities of the West of England and Bristol. She takes up her new post in July.

Ms Elena Santiago Cid took office as Director-General of CENELEC, the body responsible for European standards for electrical products, on 1 January 2004. Among her priorities, Ms Santiago has already stated that she would like to strengthen the relationship with the other two European standards organisation, CEN and ETSI, as well as with the European Commission.

REVISED GENERAL PRODUCT SAFETY DIRECTIVE COMES INTO FORCE

The revised General Product Safety Directive (GSPD) came into force in the European Union on 15 January 2004. It provides controls the safety of all consumer products (except food), and sets safety requirements for consumer products such as sports and playground equipment, child care articles, lighters, and most household products such as textiles and furniture. It is supposed to strengthen consumer protection by reinforcing existing product safety rules with new obligations. The European Commission receives around 150 notifications of dangerous products annually, most often associated with risks of choking and suffocation, electrocution and fires. David Byrne, European Union Commissioner for Health and Consumer Protection, noted that for the first time manufacturers have the legal obligation to inform authorities if a product is unsafe. These are recalled and taken off the market. Also for the first time the Commission can initiate recalls and provisional bans to assure the same level of protection across the European Union. The revised GPSD clarifies the products that are covered by general product safety rules—in future the rules will apply to all consumer products, including products “migrating” from the professional sector to the consumer market and products used …