More toy recalls coming, Mattel’s timing, and does my child have lead poisioning?
Toy buyers beware; not all of the lead-based toys have been caught yet. The WSJ reports “that nearly 80% of toys are manufactured in China. And Chinese manufacturers repeatedly revert to lead paint regardless of the rules because it is cheap and helps factories meet relentless pressure to maintain costs. And, not to scare you or anything, but the article (Toy Recall Adds to Chinese Import Fears) went on to state that many toys from China that do contain lead paint pass inspection, because the Chinese companies are getting good at “fooling the system.”
Mattel won’t name the name of the Chinese manufacturing company that made the Mattel lead-based toys, the WSJ, Aug 3, 2007 reported. And Mattel knows they are making toys for other companies. Mr. Walter (a Mattel senior vice president) says, in a quote from the WSJ, “If products from the factory have been sold to other companies (toy makers) it would be the responsibility of the factory owner, not Mattel, to alert them.”
Thanks, Mr. Walter. Thanks for putting children first there. So, we can expect more toy recalls — but not until they get caught.
Mattel is not as quick as the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) would like them to be when it comes to children’s safety. Mattel believes they have a “right” to evaluate hazards internally, on their own time table, before alerting any outsiders, regardless of what the law says, Mattel Chairman and Chief Executive Robert Eckert said in an interview in the WSJ, Sept. 4, 2007. (Mattel Bucks Regulators on Timely Reporting of Potential Safety Defects.) The CPSC demands a 24-hour time table, but Mattel has repeatedly stretched those critical 24 hours into months and years.
Here’s an example of how Mattel’s timetable works, according to the WSJ:
The screws used in its Little People Animal Sounds Farm punctured the lung of a 14-month-old baby who had inhaled it. The child required emergency surgery. It was not until March 2003 that the company reported the safety hazard to the commission, an agency investigation concluded. The government discovered that Mattel had collected 32 reports, starting in 2002, of loose screws before approaching regulators.
Even before the lead-based paint fiasco, Mattel’s Power Wheels toys were causing fires. Remember those power minicars, designed to be driven by 2-year olds? In 1998, ten million of them were pulled from the market. The WSJ reported that, “Mattel knew about hundreds of problems with the toy’s electrical systems, ‘yet did nothing for years,’” said Ms. Brown, the CPSC chairperson that year.
How does Mattel repeatedly get away with this? The company pays fines. That’s it.
How big is the lead paint threat? Unfortunately, lead paint poisoning builds up over time. But the symptoms are universal: This list is from the lead poisoning source page:
- The general symptoms of lead poisoning are universal although more information is available on poisoning in humans. The first symptoms of lead toxicity are very general and nonspecific. These include nausea, sluggishness, vomiting, painful gastrointestinal irritation, diarrhea, loss of appetite, colic, weakness and dehydration. These symptoms are common to many disorders and can often lead to inaccurate diagnosis.
- Some symptoms more specific to human poisoning include discoloration of the lips and skin attributed mild secondary anemia, a lead line on the gums, developmental disorders, sterility and abortion. There have also been some preliminary reports indicating that chronic lead poisoning can also lead to chronic nephritis and premature development of arteriosclerosis.
- More severe cases of poisoning can produce symptoms including convulsions,”wrist drop” or external limb paralysis, coma and ultimately death.
Getting your child tested is important, but the test is not pleasant. I won’t go into it — but talk to your doctor about it. One paint chip from a few toys is not cause for alarm — but remove it, as the levels will build up as long as your child is exposed to more lead.
And don’t throw your lead toys in the trash. It’s too attractive for other children — return them to the toy manufacturer. They deserve the hassle.
Treatment? Chelation Therapy.
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My husband had lead poisoning as a child, and while he is free of long-term effects, is definitely not something to be taken lightly.
From what you say here, I think a mom-led boycott of Mattel is in order! I’ll be adding them to my list of companies to avoid buying products from!
This Christmas is going to be a different one. I am not buying any of this crap! European toys and some old school toys and books glorious books
Amy, you bring up a good point. I wonder if book covers are at risk? My kids love to chew on those.
Very scary. To think that this stuff has been getting by for years and it was kept quiet because fines were paid…it makes me sick.
I can’t help but wonder if there is a correlation between lead in our toys and the rise in development delays and disorders.
Thanks for posting a link about chelation therapy.
This stuff is so very scary. I never realized how many toys we had until these recalls started coming. Toys in every room of the house, in the car, out on the lawn…it’s scary to think of the potential harm. We haven’t had anything listed in the recalls….yet.
I have been aware since the time my daughter’s were born of how uncertain we can be of the manufacturing process in China - in regards to not only health concerns for our own chidren, but also of the workers and the children living surrounding the factories. Since starting my only family I sought out natural, non-toxic and ethically made toys - I even started my own business, so if you don’t mind a bit of a plug, please visit my site, or search for others like it in your own country. Mine is an Australian site: http://www.honeybeetoys.com.au
I encourage everyone to keep asking questions, and as a consumer to put pressure on the big companies to have more stringent standards and start taking care of our children, our world and the future!
Melissa, I think we’re all glad to know about your site. Thank you.
Oh my word. On a certain level, none of this comes as a surprise, but to see it spelled out is frightening. Argh.
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