Toy manufacturers are on the defensive regarding concerns about dangerous levels of lead paint exposure in millions of children’s toys.
Fisher-Price and Mattel-brand toys are being recalled due to lead paint used in the manufacturing process. Other toys are being recalled because they have small magnetic parts that may be swallowed.
Parents are in search of answers and peace of mind. In Indianapolis, free blood tests are being given to check exposure of harmful levels of lead in children.
The world’s largest toy manufacturer, Mattel Inc., this week tested 9 million toys for dangerous levels of lead paint and magnets.
Although most stores across the nation have already pulled these recalled products from shelves, plenty are are still available for purchase online.
Critics say that the Consumer Safety Products Commission (CSPC) is under-staffed and that the toy manufacturers wind up policing themselves. It was reported that the federal government is not responsible, but it is the toy manufacturers who are responsible to see that toys are safe.
A spokeswoman for the CSPC said although they regularly test toys, “it is quite naïve to think the agency can check each and every toy and product coming into the U.S.” Only a fraction of the hundreds of millions of toys are actually tested.
Many products are imported from China, however, as a point of pride, Taurus toy manufacturers in Maine said that they “use the right materials, made locally in the USA.”
Several “Polly Pocket!” products are part of the recall, “Doggie Day Care” products, some Barbie dolls, Batman figures, as well as many other toys. For a list of recalled toys, visit Mattel’s website at www.service.mattel.com or U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s website at www.cpsc.gov.
Manufacturers and distributors of goods must be held responsible when their products endanger consumers. Product liability claims force the makers and sellers of goods to consider consumer safety in everything they do. Product liability claims have forced countless companies to make better and safer products, thereby protecting future consumers from injury or death.
For more information, contact one of our Gacovino Lake attorneys at 1-800-246-HURT (4878).
