43,000 Chinese-made Toys Pulled Over Lead Paint Concern
The Age
Friday August 3, 2007
GLOBAL consumer markets are awash with Chinese goods - from clothes to crockery to building products - as the tiger of the east continues its recent economic surge.
The spotlight, however, is increasingly falling on the safety of China's diverse range of export items after 43,000 Chinese-made toys were pulled from shops across Australia yesterday as part of a worldwide voluntary recall of Fisher-Price toys due to toxic lead in their paint.The recall affects 24 types of pre-school plastic toys, mainly Sesame Street and Dora the Explorer varieties, sold in Australia from May 1 this year. Globally, the recall involves 83 types and almost 1 million Fisher-Price toys.Fisher-Price's parent company, Mattel, urged parents to immediately take affected toys away from their children, but said there had been no reports of lead-ingested injuries in Australia or elsewhere.All affected toys are marked Fisher-Price, and carry a code between 109-7LF and 187-7LF.Two months ago, a popular range of Thomas the Tank Engine toys were recalled in NSW after similar concerns about lead paint. Between 70 and 80 per cent of toys sold worldwide are made in China.Several countries recently banned Chinese toothpaste and pet food for being toxic and 100 people died in Panama after taking Chinese-produced drugs.The Chinese Government recently took stern action on its poor health and safety reputation by executing the former head of its State Food and Drug Administration.He was found to have taken kickbacks to approve sub-standard products, including an antibiotic that killed at least 10 people.While some commentators say the level of concern about goods from China is exaggerated, others are urging more rigorous examination and testing of Chinese imports.Christopher Zinn, spokesman for consumer watchdog, Choice, said there needed to be more scrutiny on products from China and more rigorous testing for the presence of lead paint."Lead is not a thing you can detect just by looking at it, in the way you might reject something that looks shonky, you have to rely on an authority and its system of checks and balances."Mr Zinn said bans on lead paint had been in place in Australia for several decades."It's an issue one might have thought had gone away, but it's very unfortunate to see it returning in this sense," he said.Robert Caulfield, vice-president of Kids Safe Victoria, said it appeared that toys were not as rigorously tested for safety in China as in other countries."I'm told that lead paint has quite a sweet taste, so kids can actually develop a taste for it ... and it's possible they may ingest quite an amount of it," he said.Australia needed a national product safety body that applied tougher standards to toys as well as other consumer items, Mr Caulfield said.Beverly Jenkin, chief executive of the Australian Toy Association, which represents toy suppliers and retailers, said the Fisher-Price recall was distressing to the entire industry, but safety standards in China and other countries were high."Everything possible that could be done (to ensure safe products) is being done, but obviously something has gone dreadfully wrong in this case," she said.The toy recall is the first for Fisher-Price and Mattel involving lead paint and the largest for Mattel since 1998, when it pulled 10 million Power Wheels toys from stores in the US.Consumers should visit Mattel's website or call 1800 674 753 for a fully funded return.Fisher-Price toys sold in Australia affected by toxic paint recall.DORA THE EXPLORER Add-on Rooms Accessory Deluxe Dollhouse Bundle House Figures Pony Place Talking House Adventures with Dora Talking Vamanos Van Collectible Mini Adventure SESAME STREET Mini Music Instruments Splashin' Fun Tub Puzzle Giggle Doodler Musical Lights Phone Net bag of water toys Shake, Giggle & Roll Giggle Cell Phone Shape Sorter Giggles Gabbers Ernie's Splashin' Fun Bath Toy Press & Go Racers Giggle Guitar Say it Two Ways Mini Giggle Toolbelt BARNEY Best Manners Phone
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