lead tainted toys

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Alarming Levels of Lead Found in Glasses

Amount in enamel of Tin Man glass was 1,006 times federal limit

(Newser) - In lab tests commissioned by the AP , alarming levels of lead and cadmium were found on the surface of drinking glasses made in China. These glasses—bearing images of comic book icons and characters from movies like the Wizard of Oz—were made for brands like Coca-Cola, Walt Disney, Burger...

Wal-Mart Tightens Toy Safety Standards

Retailer goes beyond government requirements

(Newser) - Wal-Mart is adopting stricter toy safety standards, going above and beyond existing government requirements, the Wall Street Journal reports. The standards set hard lead limits, and encourage “traceability information,” to show where toys are from. Complying could boost toymakers’ costs by 5%-7%, but since Wal-Mart is the world’...

Walter Reed Exposé Helps Post Net 6 Pulitzers

NY Times , Chicago Tribune , Milwaukee Journal Sentinel among other winners

(Newser) - The Washington Post today won the prestigious Pulitzer Prize for public service for its coverage of the Walter Reed scandal and grabbed five more of the coveted awards in the biggest haul in the paper's history. A series on the power of Dick Cheney earned the national reporting medal, and...

New Tests: 35% of Toys Contain Some Lead

Many offenders still on shelves, environmental health groups say

(Newser) - Toy shelves are still lined with lead, according to test results released today from environmental health groups in nine states. Checking 1,268 toys, the groups found lead in 35%, with levels often surpassing federal recall standards. Only 23 of those toys have been recalled. “This is not about...

Hasbro Talks Tough on Safety
Hasbro Talks Tough on Safety
Nov 30, 2007 7:00 PM CST

Hasbro Talks Tough on Safety

Public letter will distance company from lead scandals

(Newser) - Hasbro is talking up its safety record by reminding parents it had nothing to do with recent safety recalls: A newspaper ad set to run next week will say consumers should feel good about buying Hasbro products, the AP reports. Experts say it could help the entire industry but warn...

Bush Shifts Focus to Small Picture
Bush Shifts Focus to
Small Picture
Nov 24, 2007 11:20 AM CST

Bush Shifts Focus to Small Picture

He's concentrating more on nitty-gritty of domestic issues

(Newser) - With his term winding down, President Bush is putting an increased emphasis on the small picture—domestic issues that have a tangible effect on people's lives, the New York Times reports. While still engaged with weighty foreign matters such as Iraq and the upcoming Mideast summit, Bush has shifted focus...

Lead Toys Get Charities Grinchy
Lead Toys Get Charities Grinchy
Nov 21, 2007 2:04 PM CST

Lead Toys Get Charities Grinchy

Checking endless recall lists saps limited resources for many

(Newser) - Rampant toy recalls are putting a real cramp in the holiday spirit at many charities, MSNBC reports. Toy drives must devote so much manpower to checking donations against lists of lead-contaminated recalls that many have stopped the Santa act entirely. “You don’t know what you’re getting, you...

US Stores Riddled With Unsafe Toys
US Stores Riddled With Unsafe Toys
Nov 21, 2007 3:22 AM CST

US Stores Riddled With Unsafe Toys

Lead, choking hazards could be home for the holidays

(Newser) - Despite massive recalls, hazardous toys still crowd US shelves, warn consumer watchdog organizations. Dozens of toys pose choking hazards, contain toxic chemicals, or use dangerously strong magnets, according to an annual toy survey by the US Public Interest Research Group released yesterday. Nine of 100 toys tested by the Center...

Calif. Sues Toy Firms Over Lead
Calif. Sues Toy Firms Over Lead
Nov 20, 2007 3:09 PM CST

Calif. Sues Toy Firms Over Lead

State attorney general's action targets Mattel, other toy companies

(Newser) - California filed suit yesterday against Mattel, Toys R Us, and 18 other companies, accusing them of making or selling products that contain "unlawful quantities of lead," reports the LA Times. The suit, which follows major recalls of toys during the last year, aims to force manufacturers and retailers...

Fake Teeth Recalled on Halloween
Fake Teeth Recalled on Halloween
Oct 31, 2007 2:55 PM CDT

Fake Teeth Recalled on Halloween

$2 Chinese-made party favors turn out to contain dangerous lead

(Newser) - How's this for last-minute: The US government issued a recall of Chinese-made fake teeth—costume—today. The Consumer Product Safety Commission issued the recall for the $2 "ugly teeth" because of high levels of lead, the AP reports. The agency estimates that 43,000 packs of eight sets of...

Product Safety Boss Balks at Beefing Up Penalties

Says no to more leverage, staff, funding

(Newser) - The chairman of the Consumer Product Safety Commission doesn't like a Senate bill that would give her agency more clout, the Times reports. Nancy Nord opposes a measure that would amp up penalties for violators, smooth the public reporting of tainted products, protect whistleblowers, and ease prosecution. It would also...

500K Toys Recalled Over Lead
500K Toys Recalled Over Lead
Oct 4, 2007 3:19 PM CDT

500K Toys Recalled Over Lead

Levels above legal limit in China-made bookmarks, blocks, key chains

(Newser) - Over half a million Chinese-made toys have been recalled due to dangerous lead levels, the Consumer Product Safety Commission announced today. Toys ranging from Winnie the Pooh bookmarks to Baby Einstein color blocks were found to contain levels above the .06% legal limit, Reuters reports. 192,000 dollar-store key chains...

Recalls Our Fault, Mattel Tells China

Toy company admits it bungled designs, recalled too many toys

(Newser) - The fallout from Mattel's recall of Chinese-made products took a bizarre turn today as the toy company apologized to Beijing and took the blame for design flaws in lead-tainted toys, AP reports. In a meeting with China's top product safety chief, a Mattel VP called the recalls "overly inclusive"...

13 Stories