Made (Poorly) in China

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November 2007
- US Stores Riddled With Unsafe Toys
  
  McClatchy Newspapers | Nov 21, 07 3:22 AM CST
  
  (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 for Environmental Health had unsafe levels of lead. All were made in China. More »
- Calif. Sues Toy Firms Over Lead
  
  Los Angeles Times | Nov 20, 07 3:09 PM CST
  
  (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 to inspect products and ensure they're lead-free, or warn consumers. More »
- Many more toys tainted with lead, inquiry finds
  
  Chicago Tribune | Nov 18, 07
  
  Many Chicago-area stores are routinely selling lead-tainted toys, including items with levels more than 10 times government safety limits, testing by the Tribune shows. In one of the most comprehensive inquiries into lead in children's products, the Tribune tested about 800 toys and other items sold in shops, department stores, supermarkets, discount outlets and on the Internet. Those tests found that a dozen items violated the federal safety limit. An additional nine exceeded much stricter state standards, including a popular Ty Girlz doll bought at a shop in Naperville as well as an award-winning...
- Don't Blame China for Toy Recalls: Study
  
  Globe and Mail | Nov 13, 07 6:13 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - Don't blame China for soaring toy recalls, a new Canuck study says; the problem is design. "If you are going to get into a finger-pointing game, you should point it mostly on the design side," said a Canadian prof. "It has got nothing to do with China." Recalls of toys made elsewhere actually spiked higher than Chinese-made products, the Globe & Mail reports. More »
- Popular Toy Recalled Over Toxic Beads
  
  Wall Street Journal | Nov 7, 07 6:00 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - A popular arts-and-crafts toy made in China is being yanked from stores worldwide after it was found to include a chemical that replicates the effects of date-rape drugs, the Wall Street Journal reported today. At least three children were hospitalized recently in Australia after swallowing beads from the toy, sold as Aqua Dots in the US and Bindeez elsewhere. More »
- White House Proposes New Import Safety Rules
  
  Wall Street Journal | Nov 6, 07 9:50 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - The White House is set to roll out stiffer safety regulations governing imports today, reports the Wall Street Journal . The proposals, prompted by the wave of recalls this year, represent a move toward what the Journal calls "a prevention-based regulatory system that targets the riskiest products." The FDA could require manufacturers to take precautionary measures, certify that they meet standards, and provide more data. More »
- Product Safety Honchos Get Free Ride
  
  Washington Post | Nov 2, 07 4:00 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Leaders of the US agency that regulates product safety have accepted free trips from reps of the industries they oversee, a move critics call a flagrant breach of ethics, the Washington Post reports. Consumer Product Safety Commission chief Nancy Nord and predecessor Hal Stratton have taken 30 trips since 2002, with trade associations, manufacturers, and lobbying groups picking up the $60,000 tab. More »
- Budget Batters FDA Oversight of Foreign Drugs
  
  Washington Post | Nov 1, 07 4:10 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The federal Food and Drug Administration's spotty record inspecting foreign drug manufacturers will be even worse next year as its budget drops just as developing countries are flooding the market with new medications, reports the Washington Post . Foreign drug plants are inspected only once every eight to 12 years because of budget restrictions, as opposed to every two years required for American makers. More »
October 2007
- Fake Teeth Recalled on Halloween
  
  Associated Press | Oct 31, 07 2:55 PM CDT
  
  (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 the teeth have been sold since January. More »
- Chinese Drugs Go Unchecked
  
  New York Times | Oct 31, 07 12:54 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - China’s massive prescription drug industry has an equally massive flaw: pharmaceuticals made by chemical companies are not held to regulatory standards. Of nearly 500 Chinese companies at a recent drug trade show, 82 were unregulated and uncertified, the New York Times discovered. “This is definitely against the law,” said one drug regulator, who acknowledges that China's food and drug agency doesn't have jurisdiction over chemical companies. More »
- 500K Toys Recalled Over Lead
  
  Reuters | Oct 4, 07 3:19 PM CDT
  
  (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 were also on the recall list - not for children, but still unsafe. More »
September 2007
- Wu Yi: China's Enforcer Of Last Resort
  
  BusinessWeek | Sep 24, 07
  
  After this summer's wave of bad news about China's product safety, Beijing finally decided it was time to patch things up. So the leadership did exactly what it has done in every tough situation China has faced over the past decade or so: It called on 68-year-old Vice-Premier Wu Yi. Her gentle, friendly demeanor can be deceiving: The highest-ranking woman in China's Communist Party hierarchy is Beijing's enforcer of last resort. In recent years, she has cleaned up the country's image after the SARS crisis, overseen the response to the AIDS epidemic, led tough trade negotiations with Washington,...
- Recalls Our Fault, Mattel Tells China
  
  Associated Press | Sep 21, 07 7:30 AM CDT
  
  (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" and apologized for hurting "the reputation of Chinese manufacturers." More »
- China Agrees to End Lead Toy Imports
  
  CNN | Sep 11, 07 2:10 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - After three recalls by Mattel and growing nail-biting among parents, Chinese officials have signed an agreement with Washington to stop using lead paint in imported toys, CNNMoney reports. Although the US outlawed sales of lead-painted toys in 1978, Chinese-made products containing the hazardous metal continue to seep into the market. Today's announcement signaled China's desire to preserve its market presence in America. More »
- Recalls Will Increase 'Made in China' Prices
  
  Los Angeles Times | Sep 9, 07 10:44 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Following a series of high-profile toy recalls and international criticism over China's export standards, the the cost of merchandise bearing the "Made in China" is expected to rise at least 10% in the next year, the LA Times reports. "For American consumers, the big China sale over the last 20 years is over," says one economist. More »
- Mattel Plans 3rd Recall of Toys Made in China
  
  Wall Street Journal | Sep 4, 07 7:58 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Barbie accessories will be reined in by the hundreds of thousands by Mattel, which plans to recall another three quarters of a million Chinese-made toys due to dangerously high lead paint levels, the Wall Street Journal reports. The company's third recall this summer will also affect about 100,000 “GeoTrax” train toys and musical instruments for preschool children. More »
August 2007
- Mattel Gets Tough on Chinese Suppliers
  
  New York Times | Aug 29, 07 11:57 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The first batch of lead-tainted toys it had to recall, Mattel wrote off as an isolated incident—"a single vendor who made a big mistake.” But when it came to recalling 1.5 million unsafe Barbie dolls, Sarge jeeps and other toys made in China, the company knew its relationships with Chinese contractors would have to be overhauled, the New York Times reports. More »
- Chinese Follies Are All Too Familiar
  
  Boston Globe | Aug 27, 07 9:28 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Before Americans get on their high horse about China’s recent lapses into substandard products—not to mention those fake Harry Potter translations—they should look long and hard at their own history, the Boston Globe suggests. In the 19th century, it was the US that was considered the nation that cut corners. It’s a normal, if not necessarily forgivable, phase Stephen Mihm calls “adolescent capitalism.” More »
- China Declares War on Tainted Exports
  
  Reuters | Aug 24, 07 9:43 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - In an effort to counteract the flood of bad publicity about its product-safety system, China will mount a 4-month "war" on tainted exports that focuses on whipping government officials into shape, Reuters reports. The short-term campaign is "a special battle to protect the health and personal interests of the public," says the vice premier. More »
- SpongeBob? Not You, Too!
  
  Reuters | Aug 23, 07 9:43 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Some 300,000 more toys and other children's items made in China have been recalled due to safety concerns about lead. That includes 250,000 SpongeBob journals and address books with lead paint on the metal bindings. The journals, imported by privately held Martin Designs Inc., were sold in US stores from June 2006 to July 2007—for about $2. More »