Print
E-mail
Comment
Foreign-made toys have higher recall potential
By VAL CLIFTON
With one in six toy recalls stemming from toys manufactured outside the United States, parents may want to check the label prior to purchasing toys for their children this Christmas.
From Jan. 2008 to Nov. 25, BuyDirectUSA.com tracked the Consumer Product Safety Commission recalls and discovered that a large percentage have been imports.
Of the 339 recalls posted, 296 were imports and 50 were produced in the United States. Three were not counted because the products were stated as being produced both in the U.S. and China.
Jim Palmer of BuyDirectUSA.com said American-made toys are manufactured under more stringent guidelines, resulting in lower recall numbers.
“You have better quality control when the product is right there in front of you,” Palmer said. “Needless to say, the standards aren’t the same in other countries and they don’t have to abide by them because they aren’t checked very often.”
He said the increase in toy recalls began in June 2007, but last December many of the toys were still on the shelves.
Many of the products had strangulation hazards, posed a burn hazard or have contained toxic lead, Palmer said.
While some of the USA-made products had potentially severe hazards, no deaths were associated with the use of them.
“Parents need to check the label,” Palmer said. “If it’s not made in the USA, then I wouldn’t recommend buying it. For the younger ones who like to chew on things and put them in their mouth, I would highly recommend American-made toys.”
The recalls may be viewed by visiting the BuyDirectUSA.com at www.buydirectusa.com
From Jan. 2008 to Nov. 25, BuyDirectUSA.com tracked the Consumer Product Safety Commission recalls and discovered that a large percentage have been imports.
Of the 339 recalls posted, 296 were imports and 50 were produced in the United States. Three were not counted because the products were stated as being produced both in the U.S. and China.
Jim Palmer of BuyDirectUSA.com said American-made toys are manufactured under more stringent guidelines, resulting in lower recall numbers.
“You have better quality control when the product is right there in front of you,” Palmer said. “Needless to say, the standards aren’t the same in other countries and they don’t have to abide by them because they aren’t checked very often.”
He said the increase in toy recalls began in June 2007, but last December many of the toys were still on the shelves.
Many of the products had strangulation hazards, posed a burn hazard or have contained toxic lead, Palmer said.
While some of the USA-made products had potentially severe hazards, no deaths were associated with the use of them.
“Parents need to check the label,” Palmer said. “If it’s not made in the USA, then I wouldn’t recommend buying it. For the younger ones who like to chew on things and put them in their mouth, I would highly recommend American-made toys.”
The recalls may be viewed by visiting the BuyDirectUSA.com at www.buydirectusa.com
Submit a Comment
|
You must be logged in to post a comment.
|
Not yet a registered member?
Click here to become one. Comments to stories and articles on the Web site are not edited or pre-approved before appearing online. Readers posting comments are solely responsible for those comments. Comments must be germane to the story to which they apply. Online comments that are libelous, profane or personally attack another site participant can be reported as abuse using the link provided on each comment. Comments reported as abusive will be reviewed and may be removed from view, as will off-topic comments. BE CIVIL. Individuals continually posting abusive comments to the site may have their registrations revoked. |
