US toys' lead content under scrutiny

Manufacturing News, Source : TheManufacturer.com
Published : 20 Sep 2007 8:53

A two-day hearing is taking place in the US to examine the extent of lead contamination in children's toys following the recall of 21 million mainly Chinese-made toys in recent months.

Members of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) have asked Congress for its budget to be increased to tackle the problem.

US toymaker Mattel recalled millions of Chinese-made toys in August and September due to hazards from small powerful magnets and lead paint. Its Fisher-Price unit recalled also about 1.5 million toys because of excessive lead paint on certain products.

Mattel boss Robert Eckert has stressed the safety of the 800 million products the toymaker and its vendors manufacture every year. But he admitted its Chinese producers had not been monitored closely enough.

The company's investigation revealed "that a few vendors, either deliberately or out of carelessness, circumvented our long-established safety standards and procedures.

“These recent lead recalls have been a personal disappointment to me" and also those working at Mattel,” he said.

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