WASHINGTON, Oct. 4, 2007
Another Huge Recall Of Chinese-Made Toys
More Than 500,000 More Products Taken Off The Market Due To Lead
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Play CBS Video Video More Toy Recalls The latest round of toy recalls have parents upset ahead of the holidays. But Sandra Hughes reports the recalls are also a sign that manufacturers are taking a closer look at their products.
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(AP / CBS)
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Interactive Toying With Danger A look at some of the latest toy recalls and tips for playing it safe
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Photo Essay Toy Trouble Mattel Inc. recalls 18.2 million toys in China's latest product safety incident.
Coin-shaped “Pirates of the Caribbean” flashlights and soft, textured Baby Einstein blocks were among the 544,000 products recalled, the Consumer Product Safety Commission announced. The recall also includes Totally Me! Funky Room Decor Set decorating kits imported and sold by Toys “R” Us Inc. and a variety of wooden toys imported and sold by KB Toys Inc.
The flashlight's leather strap, the back of the decorating kit's mirror, the blue Baby Einstein block and the wooden toys have surface paint that contains high levels of lead, which is toxic if ingested by young children. Under current regulations, children's products found to have more than .06 percent lead accessible to users are subject to a recall.
CPSC spokeswoman Julie Vallese noted that the effects of lead are cumulative.
“A lot of what is being recalled is because it violates the law, not that there is an imminent health risk,” she said.
The recall also included cups shaped like Frankenstein's head with high levels of lead in their surface paint. Other products not necessarily for children were: key chains containing high levels of lead, as well as bookmarks and journals with lead-tainted surface paint.
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Consumer Product Safety Commission
“There will be more recalls because of lead violations, but we also anticipate that we will begin to see fewer and fewer of them as a big portion of the marketplace will have been tested,” Vallese said. “What you're seeing now is the result of a systematic approach to going through inventories.”“A lot of what is being recalled is because it violates the law, not that there is an imminent health risk.”
Julie Vallese, spokeswoman,Consumer Product Safety Commission
Meanwhile, the repeated recalls have nervous parents wondering just which aisle in the toy department is safe, reports CBS News correspondent Sandra Hughes.
“It's been very frustrating and disappointing as a parent,” said Robyn Ross.
The recalls include:
© MMVII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Add a Comment See all 24 Comments
- Chinese are just playing to corporate America, which through lobbying owns the Democrats and Republicans. Yes Bush and co hasn''t fixed the problems but it started with Clinton and Co. One note though at least bush hasn''t been selling Nuclear missile technology, but thats because he cant spell it or say it. Bottom line just try boycotting as many Chinese made products as possible.
- Reply to this comment
- Chinese are just playing to corporate America, which through lobbying owns the Democrats and Republicans. Yes Bush and co hasn''t fixed the problems but it started with Clinton and Co. One note though at least bush hasn''t been selling Nuclear missile technology, but thats because he cant spell it or say it. Bottom line just try boycotting as many Chinese mad products as possible.
- Reply to this comment
- Chinese are greedy and dangerous.
- Reply to this comment
- check out www.discoverytoyslink.com/lslp99
Yes China makes alot of products we all buy; but here you can at least buy SAFE TOYS that are educational and fun (see the quality guarantee on the site)!
Don''t cancel Christmas yet :-) - Reply to this comment
- This is most likely only the beginning. As we consumers demand cheaper and cheaper toys, more and more short cuts have resulted. These recalls have opened our eyes to this trend. This year many of us are cutting back and buying fewer, better made toys %u2013 wooden toys made in Europe (Haba, Ravensburger), costumes, American made open-ended toys with few small or breakable parts. There are lots of great, well made toys out there, online and at independent retailers. They just can%u2019t be found at the big box toy retailers%u2026yet.
The Not Quite Crunchy Parent - Reply to this comment
- Hey Di ck and George I thought that you were supposed to protect us from the bad guys. Wait you can''t protect us from poison tooth paste or lead in the paint so I am supposed to believe that you can protect us from terrorist. Yea, would you like to buy a piece of land in the Florida Everglades. Worst administration in American history, and they think we will forget by November 2008, hey there were some true Republicans in this country left but not anymore we left the Republican party to the reactionary wing nut fascist fake Christians.
- Reply to this comment
- Where does a person buy paint with a high lead level? If China is still using paint with lead, can you imagine what is being used on all the other products produced there.
The elves in Santa''s workshop stopped using paint with lead years ago. - Reply to this comment
- China has already apologized, I guess we forgave them because they''re still making toys.
As someone previously suggested, perhaps we should start by boycotting things made in China. - Reply to this comment
- Another article in Yahoo says that millions of Boy Scout badges (made in China, where else?) are being recalled because of lead. I suspect the true scope of the problem is much bigger than people think. We''re talking about just toys, but most every consumer item is made in China nowadays. To think the problem is somehow limited to just toys would be extremely naive.
- Reply to this comment
- OK China, YOU owe the US a big appology for violating US laws regarding lead paint in toys and consumer items.
You know perfectly well what you''ve done, now give the US an apology - Reply to this comment
- Unfortunately, if are any monies to be mde up for this, I doubt very much it could be arranged by our illustrious government.
Our government is way in debt with China, China, on the other hand, has contracts with toy manufaturers primarily Mattel, based in California. I doubt if Mattel would ever consider relinquishing some of their losses to be paid to the government if China agreed to make up for the the losses.
Again, if we encouraged these companies to keep production here, we would, most likely, have safer products, it would provide Americans with jobs and justify the outrageous prices. - Reply to this comment
- Don''t get too alarmed over lead posioning in adults your concern should focus on the kids because they have a much lower tolerance. I work construction and had to get tested for lead before going onto a job and I found out not that many showed positive and the people that were positive worked on and in a lot of steel mill jobs.
So you may want to have your kids tested if in doubt.
Bottom line is China knows the requirements.
Another thing the republican devotees keep complaining about about all the goverment regulations that the democrats want to impose, I wonder if the republican consumer knowling wants to drop the lead level regulations on kids'' toys? - Reply to this comment
- OH NO!!! TIME TO PANIC!!
PRESS THE PANIC BUTTON, PARENTS - NO XMAS TOYS!!!!
PRESS THE PANIC BUTTON, PARENTS - NO XMAS TOYS!!!!
PRESS THE PANIC BUTTON, PARENTS - NO XMAS TOYS!!!!
PANIC!!!
PANIC!!!
PANIC!!!
PANIC!!!
%u201CA lot of what is being recalled is because it violates the law, not that there is an imminent health risk.%u201D
Well thats the same dam.n thing! the law is there BECAUSE the lead exposure is a health risk, so if that law is violated it means the lead exposure exceeds the limits and therefore is unsafe- DUH - Reply to this comment
OH NO!!! TIME TO PANIC!!
PRESS THE PANIC BUTTON, PARENTS - NO XMAS TOYS!!!!
PRESS THE PANIC BUTTON, PARENTS - NO XMAS TOYS!!!!
PRESS THE PANIC BUTTON, PARENTS - NO XMAS TOYS!!!!
PANIC!!!
PANIC!!!
PANIC!!!
PANIC!!!
%u201CA lot of what is being recalled is because it violates the law, not that there is an imminent health risk.%u201D
Well that''s the same *** thing! the law is there BECAUSE the lead exposure is a health risk, so if that law is violated it means the lead exposure exceeds the limits and therefore is unsafe- DUH- Reply to this comment
- lastdance 2
Well said!!! - Reply to this comment
- The Chineese are going through a lot of value changes relating to hazards and profit--that we went thru in the 50s.
However, they are doing it with computers, and a different style of government.
We as the United States (formally through Law) must carry China fully into a future where we all actually live in the same social "time".
To facillitate this, we need formal sanctions that remove large blocks of our debt to China through proclamation-- this to be indexed by ...possible damages... in treble amounts, and enforced by all those countries that would claim to be our friends.
Absent this-- yes we should declare the dollar to be a seperate entity on the world market--and re-group regardless of degree of difficulty.
Many will say nothing can be done.
They always have. - Reply to this comment
- You posted the same thing yesterday lastdance---this problem is ours--we should boycott everything not made here, but then we''d all probably starve and go naked!!!
- Reply to this comment
- It is Simply a - Family Affair - Family Pride - Family Values
The Uncle of Pres. Bush
Prescott Bush
Chairman, U.S.-China Chamber of Commerce;
The Bush Family - Who enjoys - $9.00 a month - Slave Labor -
Who Allows - Lead Painted Toys - Defective Merchandise -
Tainted and Poisoned Food Stuffs - To be shipped to the US. -
Purposely Intended for use and consumption by the American consumer.
Prescott Bush - Knowing - The Ratifications - of Poisoned Food - Lead Poisoning and
potentially Defective and Hazardous products. - To the American Parent and
The American Child - Prescott Bush Continues - To Allow those imports.
Pres. Bush - Cut funding to the Port Authority - Now there is only one (1) Inspector
at each port of entry. - To Inspect shipments from China
(nothing like a little - conflict of interest - between family members)
It is Simply a - Family Affair - Family Pride - Family Values
The FBI - The US Justice Department has always Worked on the Behalf of -
The Political Objectives and The Financial Objectives of -
The Republican (Nazi) Party - Criminal Corporate (Nazi) America
No Criminal Charges - On this Issue - Is Evidenced to that
There was a time - Treason - Corruption- Conflict of Interest - Was a Criminal Act
Boycott : All products from China
Lastdance - Reply to this comment
- Lets just keep outsourcing those jobs!!!
Great way to pay low wages, and increase the bottom line.
Who cares who the products hurt--the bottom line for these companies is the ultimate sacrafice of the safety of Americans.
Try to buy anything in any store and see where it''s made---not here!!
We are stupid enough to pay top dollar for a shirt at Macys'' that was made in the same country as WalMart clothes.
We are stupid Americans---we have not paid attention for decades, now the proverbial poop is hitting the fan and we are outraged!
Now what are WE going to do????????????? - Reply to this comment
Best-selling author Mitch Albom on his first nonfiction work since "Tuesdays with Morrie."
