Safety agency issues new batch of toy recalls | U.S. | Reuters:
"WASHINGTON (Reuters) - More recalls of lead-tainted toys made in China were announced on Wednesday by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, including 380,000 toy cars sold at Dollar General stores.
Other warnings included smaller recalls of Dizzy Ducks music boxes, Winnie-the-Pooh spinning tops, 'Big Red' wagons, Dragster and Funny Car toys, and Duck Family collectible wind-up toys, all because of paint with unsafe levels of lead.
Millions of similar toy recalls, most involving Chinese-made products, have alarmed American consumers in recent months. Lead is toxic and can pose serious health risks to children, including brain damage. The new batch of recalls totaled about 403,000 toys. No injuries were reported, the safety commission said.
U.S. lawmakers have proposed legislation that would virtually ban lead in toys and give the product safety agency more funding for testing, recalls and enforcement. They have also criticized the safety agency's acting chairman, Nancy Nord, for accepting industry-funded trips.
The toy cars recalled Wednesday were sold at Dollar General retail stores from April through October this year for about $1 per pack of two or four cars. Consumers should return the toy cars to a Dollar General store for a refund. "
Monday, November 19, 2007
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Thanks for posting that, Julia. I find it interesting that product safety efforts since the 1970s in the US have been about removing lead exposure from the environment, but then the promotion of the "world economy" for cheap goods undid it all overnight.
In college, my economics professor was steadfast in his wishes for the efficiencies of a global marketplace. I argued with him to no end nor effect. I wonder if he recalls that, and whom he thinks is right?
Unintended consequences is a consistent evil from which we seem to never learn. That, and greed.
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