WASHINGTON—In light of the recent safety recalls of Chinese-made toys, consumers and advocate groups have found an easy scapegoat—the current U.S. administration, an administration named as the world's most prominent advocate for big business.
Currently, corporations are either not being held accountable or just receive a slap on the wrist when caught red-handed for selling unsafe consumer products, suggested Reece Rushing, director at the Center for American Progress, a Washington-based consumer watchdog, in a recent published report.
The report titled "Safeguarding the American People: The Progressive Vision vs. the Bush Record" claimed that the current U.S. administration has been lax in the enforcement of consumer product safety laws.
Enforcement by the CPSC
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) was formed to protect the public against unreasonable risks of injury and death associated with consumer products. The report argued that in recent years the power of the commission has weakened considerably. Budget cuts have reduced agency personnel to a mere 500. Of these 500, 100 are field inspectors, overseeing more than 15,000 foreign products sold on the U.S. market.
CPSC staff may not be able to cope with the sheer number of products they are responsible for—by making sure that companies abide by U.S. regulations. Reese suggested that the recent "massive recalls of food, drug, and consumer products from China are testament to this failure."
The current administration "altered the focus of the CPSC, moving it from aggressive protection of consumers to a more manufacturer-friendly approach," claimed Kevin Hall, a reporter at McClatachy's Washington Bureau in a recent Web site article: "Efforts to Crack Down on Lead Paint Was Thwarted by China and the Bush Administration."
Going on Record
An overwhelming portion of all products recalled is imported, testified Nancy A. Nord, acting chairman of the CPSC, at a Congressional Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government Senate Hearing this month.
"In recent years, about two-thirds of all U.S. product recalls are of imported products, and the large majority of those products are manufactured in China," said Nord.
The numbers are staggering. CPSC has jurisdiction over about $614 billion worth of imported goods. Around 40 percent, or $246 billion, of these goods came from China.
Recent recalls of Chinese toys imported by Mattel, Inc. that contained lead or other unsafe materials triggered action by CPSC, and CPSC signed a product safety agreement with China's General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine this month. Based on this agreement, no lead paint and other unsafe products may be used to produce toys, going forward.
CPSC calls the agreement a major step forward. But, according to think-tank reports, college research studies, and media reports, China's federal and local governments operate autonomously. There is often no control over manufacturers, and regulations are not enforced. Finally, widespread corruption wipes out any remaining efforts to regulate and test shipments leaving the country.
China's desire to earn foreign currency takes precedence over compliance with international quality standards.
CPSC has come up with a four-pronged approach to deal with non-compliance by China and other nations. It sent letters in English and Chinese to the Chinese regime and Chinese toy manufacturers, detailing reasons for the recalls and how they hold up against international and U.S. safety standards. Also, CPSC is developing programs to teach the Chinese about international and U.S. safety regulations.
More aggressive monitoring and enforcement of products shipped into the United States is also on the agenda. Lastly, CPSC will ask Congress to modernize the organization, as market realities have changed since the agency was restructured in 17 years ago.
Other Voices
North Carolina Senator John Edwards wrote an open letter to President George W. Bush, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) urging that mandatory testing of all products coming into the United States be implemented immediately.
The Sierra Club, whose members actively advocate for consumer rights, recently published a list of manufacturers it put on notice for product safety violations.
Ten companies were named repeat offenders for not notifying the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) concerning lead in toy products, including U.S. Toy Co., Inc., Oriental Trading Company, Inc., and Target Stores, according to a Sierra Club press release.
The EPA sent 100 letters to companies known for violating consumer product standards, warning them of the consequences.