| Page 2 of 2 < |
Mattel Recalling More Chinese-Made Toys
Tuesday's recalls were the latest blows to the nation's toy industry, which relies on China for about 80 percent of toys sold in the United States.
On Aug. 2, Mattel recalled about 1.5 million Chinese-made Fisher-Price toys _ including characters such as Dora the Explorer, Big Bird and Elmo _ that contain lead paint. In June, about 1.5 million Thomas & Friends wooden railway toys, imported from China and distributed by the RC2 Corp. were recalled because of lead paint.
  A boy looks around a toy store Saturday, Aug. 4, 2007, in Manila, Philippines. Toys made by Mattel based on popular characters like Barney, Dora and Diego have been recalled in some Asian and European countries after the toymaker warned of lead in the paint. China has temporarily banned two toy makers whose products were subject to massive recalls in the United States from exporting their goods and urged them to overhaul their business practices, the government said Thursday Aug 9, 2007. (AP Photo/Pat Roque, FILE) (Pat Roque - AP) 
| ||||||||||||||||||||
Lead is toxic if ingested by young children. Under current regulations, children's products found to have more than .06 percent lead accessible to users are subject to a recall.
"There is no excuse for lead to be found in toys entering this country," Nord said. "It's totally unacceptable and it needs to stop."
Nord said the company has stopped selling the recalled products, instructed retailers to pull them from the shelves and made a production change. Mattel is also offering replacement products.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission, which negotiated details of Mattel's recalls, reported that in the previous recall of Polly Pocket play sets Nov. 21, 2006, three children had been injured by swallowing more than one magnet. All three suffered intestinal perforations that required surgery.
When more than one magnet is swallowed, they can attach to each other and cause intestinal perforation, infection or blockage, which can be fatal.
In March 2006, another toy company, Mega Brands Inc., recalled 3.8 million Magnetix magnetic building sets after one child died and four others were seriously injured after swallowing tiny magnets in them.
Mattel officials said they became aware in late July of potential problems at factories in China and began investigating. While testing to determine which products might be affected, the company alerted the CPSC, Eckert said.
The Mattel executive said the decision to move forward with a recall was made at the end of last week. When The Associated Press learned late Monday that another Mattel recall was in the works and contacted the CPSC, a spokesman declined to comment.
CPSC spokesman Scott Wolfson said the time between this decision and the announcement was spent determining the scope and exact nature of the problem, as well as negotiating with the company on the remedy for the recall, the logistics of an information hotline and a Web presence for recall information. He said these logistical considerations are necessary to "ensure that at the point of CPSC's announcement, the consumer will have those tools and they will know what the next steps are."
Days after the Aug. 2 Fisher-Price recall, Chinese officials temporarily banned the toys' manufacturer, Lee Der Industrial Co., from exporting products. A Lee Der co-owner, Cheung Shu-hung, committed suicide at a warehouse over the weekend, apparently by hanging himself, a state-run newspaper reported Monday.
For information about Tuesday's recalls, consumers should call Mattel at 888-597-6597 for information about toys with magnets, or 800-916-4997 for information about the die cast cars.
___
Associated Press reporters Ann Sanner in Washington and Anne D'Innocenzio in New York contributed to this report.
___
On the Net:
Mattel: http:/
Consumer Product Safety Commission: http:/
