NEW YORK—As 9 million lead-tainted made-in-China toys are recalled worldwide, the little known fact is that in the United States such an enormous recall is primarily on a voluntary basis.
"The federal government's limited powers of enforcement and voluntary recalls are not enough to protect our children from the dangers of lead poisoning and other hazards," said Governor Eliot Spitzer last Friday in a press lease.
The Federal government's Consumer Product Safety Commission requires the current voluntary recall, but because the Commission isn't staffed or funded to track such an enormous recall many dangerous toys inevitably stay on shelves throughout the country—including New York State.
Spitzer has launched a new initiative making it mandatory, not voluntary, for retailers to have the tainted toys removed from their shelves. State Health Department and State Consumer Protection Board staff are inspecting retailers to make sure that they comply, and enforcing fines.
Within 24 hours of Spitzer's announcement last Friday, staff reported finding numerous recalled toys still on shelves throughout New York State.
Also, the State Health Department and the Office for Children and Family Services are coordinating efforts to direct all day care providers to check their toys against the recall list and remove those toys immediately.
Researchers believe lead exposure in children and unborn children can cause brain and nervous system damage, behavioral and learning problems, slowed growth, hearing problems and headaches. Most children with lead poisoning usually do not look or feel sick. The only sure way to know whether a child has lead poisoning is to get a blood lead test.
"Toys are making headlines right now and rightfully so, but we should not lose sight of the fact that about 5,000 children a year are diagnosed with lead poisoning in New York State—mostly from lead paint in older housing," said State Health Commissioner Richard Daines, M.D. "Lead poisoning is a serious health matter and the state must do everything possible to restrict children's exposure."
Poor Conditions Breed Poor Quality
While Gov. Spitzer's mandatory recall and the Federal government's voluntary recall are both relying on a specific list of bad toys coming from China, concerns are brewing that the problem is systemic, stemming from poor working conditions in China. An estimated 80 percent of toys on the U.S. toy market are made in China.
A report released on Tuesday from China Labor Watch concluded that working conditions in toy factories in China remain brutal, stating, "Wages are low, benefits are nonexistent, work environments are dangerous, and living conditions are humiliating."
The report is based on conditions in eight toy factories in China and began at the end of 2006. It finds that, to cut costs, huge toy companies like Hasbro turn a blind eye to safety and overall labor conditions in China ultimately resulting in low quality and even dangerous toys entering U.S. markets.
"These toys' low quality is a result of multinationals' single-minded pursuit of ever lower prices and neglect of other considerations… Instead of concentrating on improving product safety and workers' lives, companies spend their energy creating beautiful pamphlets on social responsibility, disputing critical reports and shifting blame," the report says.
Alluding to lost profits and lawsuits now facing toy manufacturer Mattel, since they recalled millions of made-in-China toys, the report concludes, "In the end, [multinational toy companies] too may pay the price."
Meanwhile, in the vein of "disputing critical reports," Chinese quality-control official Li Changjiang on Sunday called criticism of made-in-China goods unfair and biased. Li did not mention labor conditions during the carefully choreographed interview on China's state-controlled television.
Additional reporting by Reuters
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