Made In China Product Recalls

Toxic Toys On The Web - Forbes.com
Parents may feel a brief moment of relief when companies stop shipping toys discovered to be toxic, as they did last week when three more items made in China were added to the list of banned products. Stopping imports of the problematic toys will surely save lives and prevent trauma, right?

Spain joins Chinese toy recall | Reuters
Spanish authorities have ordered two Chinese-made toy kits to be recalled, following the lead of the United States and Australia, the Health Ministry said on Thursday.

The National Consumers Institute is recalling Aqua Dots, made by Spin Master, and a similar toy Bindeez, made by Mouse Enterprise because they could be dangerous, the ministry said. It did not say how many toys were affected by the recall.

In the United States, 4.2 million Aqua Dots craft kits were recalled because the beads could contain a chemical similar to a “date rape” drug and cause unconsciousness, respiratory depression or seizures if swallowed.

WZZM13 - China Recalls toys with lead
Toy-making giant Mattel (MAT) issued recalls Tuesday for millions of Chinese-made toys that contain magnets that can be swallowed by children or could have lead paint.

The company recalled 18.2 million toys worldwide, including 9.5 million in the the USA.

The recalls includes 7.3 million play sets in the U.S., including Polly Pocket dolls and Batman action figures, and 253,000 die cast cars that contain lead paint. The action was announced on the company’s website and at a news conference in Washington by the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Wal-Mart recalls animal toy sets for lead - Consumer News - MSNBC.com
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is recalling toy animals made in China because of excessive lead levels discovered since it stepped up safety testing in August, the Bentonville, Arkansas-based retailer said Friday.

Lead Paint Prompts Mattel to Recall 967,000 Toys - New York Times
Mattel, the maker of Barbie dolls and Hot Wheels cars, is recalling nearly one million toys in the United States today because the products are covered in lead paint.

UPDATE 1-Aqua Dots head parade of further US toy recalls | News | Regulatory News | Reuters
WASHINGTON, Nov 7 (Reuters) - About 4.2 million Chinese-made Aqua Dots toys were recalled for possibly containing a “date rape” drug, U.S. safety officials said on Wednesday after earlier announcing another batch of toy recalls for unacceptably high levels of lead.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) said the Aqua Dots craft toys include a chemical, 1,4 butanediol, on their beads which, if swallowed, can turn toxic and cause unconsciousness, respiratory depression, or seizures.

The Aqua Dots toys made Wal-Mart Stores Inc’s (WMT.N: Quote, Profile, Research) list of top 12 Christmas toys and have been sold at major U.S. retail stores since April for between $17 and $30.

Australian officials issued a nation-wide ban on a similar toy after three children were hospitalized.

Also on Wednesday, the CPSC issued recalls for about 403,000 toys with paint containing excessive levels of lead, including 380,000 toy cars sold at Dollar General stores.

Other warnings were for Dizzy Ducks music boxes, Winnie-the-Pooh spinning tops, “Big Red” wagons, Dragster and Funny Car toys, and Duck Family collectible wind-up toys, all because of paint with unsafe levels of lead.

Recalls involving millions of mostly Chinese-made toys, the majority over lead in their paint,

China factories feel the squeeze — chicagotribune.com
China factories feel the squeeze
Caught between rising costs at home and low-cost pressure abroad, some firms decide to cut corners

By Michael Oneal | Tribune staff reporter
November 8, 2007

SHENZHEN, China — Sitting in a windowless conference room surrounded by the remote-control toy Ferraris and Mercedes he sells the world over, factory owner Kuma Gu summed up what it’s like to manufacture products for American consumers these days. Continue reading “China factories feel the squeeze — chicagotribune.com”

NDTV.com: China-made toys recalled again
China-made toys recalled again
China-made toys recalled again
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Associated Press
Thursday, November 8, 2007 (Washington)
Millions of China-made toys have been pulled from shelves in US and Australia after scientists found they contained a chemical that converts into a powerful ”date rape” drug when ingested.

With only seven weeks until Christmas, the season that can decide the success of the toy industry for the year, the recall is yet another blow to an industry already bruised by a slew of recalls this past summer.

In the United States, the toy goes by the name Aqua Dots, a highly popular holiday toy distributed by Toronto-based Spin Master Toys.

They are called Bindeez in Australia, where they were named toy of the year at an industry function this year.

Recalls and Advisories: More China-made products pulled from U.S. shelves
More China-made products pulled from U.S. shelves
Friday, October 5, 2007 | 09:55 AM ET

Hundreds of thousands of toys and products were recalled Thursday for unsafe lead levels, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said.

The recall involves the following products:

* 150,000 bookmarks and journals manufactured by Antioch Publishing and sold in U.S. stores between March 2005 and October 2007 for between $4 and $14 US.
* 192,000 metal key chains engraved with “wisdom,” “truth,” “believe,” “love,” “hope,” or “dream,” sold through Dollar General stores in the U.S. from June 2005 through August 2007 for about $1 US.
* 15,000 “Totally Me” children’s decorating sets sold through Toys “R” Us in U.S. stores and online from May 2007 through September 2007 for about $10 US.
* 63,000 Frankenstein tumblers sold at Dollar General stores in the U.S. in September 2007 for about $1.
* 79,000 Eveready Pirates of the Caribbean medallion flashlights sold in stores in Canada and the U.S. and online from September 2006 through October 2007 for between $4 and $6 US.
* 35,000 Baby Einstein Discover & Play Colour Blocks, models 30726 and 30881 with the date codes GE7, GF7 and GG7 sold in U.S. stores from June 2007 through September 2007 for between $10 and $13 US.
* 10,000 Wooden Pull-Along Alphabet & Math Block Wagons , Pull-Along Learning Blocks Wagons, 10-in-1 Activity Learning Carts, Flip-Flop Alphabet Blocks sold in KB stores in the U.S., sold from August 2005 and September 2007.

All of the recalled products were made in China.

Health Canada spokeswoman Joey Rathwell confirmed the decorating sets, Baby Einstein blocks and KB wooden toys were not sold in Canada.

High amounts of lead can harm the nervous system, kidneys and other major organs. Anemia, a decline in red blood cells, can occur, as well as damage to the nervous system that may impair mental function. At worst, lead poisoning can cause seizures or death.

The recalls follow a series of recalls and product safety investigations relating to Chinese imports, including products ranging from pet food to toothpaste and children’s toys.

Recalls and Advisories: Children’s toys recalled for unsafe lead levels
Children’s toys recalled for unsafe lead levels
Wednesday, September 26, 2007 | 04:03 PM ET

More children’s toys manufactured in China are being recalled because they contain unsafe levels of lead, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced Wednesday.

The recall of toys includes the following products sold in Canada:

* Knights of the Sword toys, distributed by Illinois-based RC2 Corp.
* Happy Giddy Gardening Tools, imported by Minneapolis-based Target.
* Guidecraft Inc. Children’s Puppet Theaters, manufactured by N.J.-based Guidecraft Inc.
The CPSC also announced a recall of about 200,000 Thomas & Friends toys in the United States, including:

All Black Cargo Car included in the Brendam Fishing Dock Set only.

* Toad vehicle with brake lever.
* Olive Green Sodor Cargo Box included in the Deluxe Cranky the Crane.
* All Green Maple Tree Top included in the Conductor’s Figure 8 Set.
* Green Signal Base included in the Conductor’s Figure 8 Set.

Another 850 children’s metal necklaces, manufactured by Rhode Island Novelty, are also being withdrawn in the U.S. because the clasp on the necklace contains unsafe lead levels.

High amounts of lead can harm the nervous system, kidneys and other major organs. Anemia, a decline in red blood cells, can occur, as well as damage to the nervous system that may impair mental function. At worst, lead poisoning can cause seizures or death.