Stop Buying Products Made In China!

Okay, this is getting ridiculous. Over the past few months, products originating in China have been getting tagged for the dangers they pose. It started with a seafood scare in which caricogens and antibiotics used on the fish are not approved. Toothpaste had been contaminated. Then we came across not one, but two different children's toy recalls, in which lead paint and loose magnets were discovered.

Now this:

BLOOMBERG NEWS: A global manhunt launched by Johnson and Johnson has tracked to China counterfeit versions of an at- home diabetes test used by 10 million Americans to take sensitive measurements of blood-sugar levels.

Potentially dangerous copies of the OneTouch Test Strip sold by J and J's LifeScan unit surfaced in American and Canadian pharmacies last year, according to federal court documents unsealed in June. New Brunswick, New Jersey-based J and J, the world's largest consumer-health products maker, learned of the counterfeit tests after 15 patients complained of faulty results last September.

Tipped off by J and J, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a nationwide consumer alert in October without disclosing the link to China. While no injuries were reported, inaccurate test readings may lead a diabetic to inject the wrong amount of insulin, causing harm or death, the agency said.

Two questions: 1) Why is it that Johnson and Johnson, and not the US government, is doing the investigation and 2) why did we just find out about this problem when complaints started last SEPTEMBER?!

Call me cynical, but could it be that since China basically has us by the balls financially, our government didn't want to cause waves? It is so comforting to know that our well-being is first priority with our leaders.

Stop buying products made in China. Do you think I'm kidding?
Read this: Tainted Chinese Ginger Target of Recall

"The U.S. Food and Drug Administration inspects less than 1 percent of the food imported into this country. While FDA officials could not be reached for comment Monday, they have previously said they try to make the most of limited resources by focusing on high-risk items and products from countries with a history of problems. "

Mattel Recalls More Toys Made in China

WNBC News: Threats from powerful magnets and lead paint led Mattel to recall more than 9 million toys on Tuesday, just weeks after it recalled 1 million other products.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission said that magnets can come loose and be swallowed in more than 7 million Polly Pocket toys, 680,000 Barbie and Tanner sets, 1 million Doggie Daycare sets and 350,000 Batman figures.

The surface paint on 250,000 Sarge cars from the movie "Cars" were also added to the recall.

...Mattel is the world's largest toy maker, and the affected toys were made in China.

This comes on the heels of a report that "despite a two-year effort to eliminate the threat of poisonous lead in inexpensive children's jewelry, hundreds of thousands of tainted items are still being sold across the United States."

How many more products will have to be recalled that are made in China? Is this some kind of diabolical scheme by the Chinese government to slowly pollute the US population for an eventual takeover?

At this point, I'm a little trepidacious to order Chinese take out.

Made in China - Use At Your Own Risk

NEW YORK TIMES: The toy maker RC2 Corporation pulled a number of its Thomas & Friends trains and accessory parts off the shelves yesterday after learning that the red and yellow paint used to decorate more than 1.5 million of the toys contained lead.

That's right, LEAD! The relatively expensive Thomas toys were manufactured in China. Currently, the United States imports 70%-80% of all children's toys from China.

RAW STORY: The recall comes amid increasing concern over health risks posed by food and other tainted products from China, including toothpaste and pet food.
Thousands of animals in the United States were poisoned from pet food additives made in China, one of a series of incidents that have exposed lax controls in Beijing's food quality control system.

From Crooks & Liars:

Just in the last month, a ghoulish fake eyeball toy made in China was recalled after it was found to be filled with kerosene. Sets of toy drums and a toy bear were also recalled because of lead paint, and an infant wrist rattle was recalled because of a choking hazard.Over all, the number of products made in China that are being recalled in the United States by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has doubled in the last five years, driving the total number of recalls in the country to 467 last year, an annual record.

It also means that China today is responsible for about 60 percent of all product recalls, compared with 36 percent in 2000.

Anyone remember who Bush nominated for the Consumer Product Safety Commission? That’s right, the guy consistently FOR the laxing of safety standards. Luckily for us, his nomination was withdrawn, but let’s keep a close eye on the next one.