Wednesday, May. 06, 2009
Lead Toys
If there's one place parents want to know is safe, it's the toy aisle. In 2007, Mattel recalled more than nine million toys after they were found to contain lead paint, which can cause impaired brain development in children. Their recalls were followed by even more from other toy companies, each discovering lead tainting their toys. The culprit? Lax safety standards in Chinese manufacturing plants. More than 70 percent of the toys sold in the U.S. are made in China, away from U.S. regulators' prying eyes. Mattel settled for $12 million with 39 state attorney generals over their role in the recall, and the U.S. Congress passed new safety standards designed to keep a close eye on imports.