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 Luckily for us, his nomination was withdrawn, but let’s keep a close eye on the next one.