 Recalled hammocks |
WASHINGTON – Despite promises by China to clean up its act with regard to unsafe exports, every product recalled by the federal government so far this month is a Chinese import.
Last month, 17 of 28 products recalled by the Consumer Product Safety Commission were Chinese imports.
This month’s recalls include:
- Hammock stands that are unstable and cause those who use them to fall to the ground in alarming numbers: About 3,000 imported by Algoma Net Co. of Wisconsin and sold in Kohl’s, Target and other retail outlets have been called back. There have been at least 28 reports of brackets cracking or breaking and consumers falling to the ground.
- Toy castles that could choke your young child: Some 68,000 Shape Sorting Toy Castles produced by Infantino were recalled after at least four reports of children nearly choking on colored beads that slid off the toy and lodged in their throats.
- Kids jewelry that could poison them: About 20,000 Essentials for Kids Jewelry Sets have been recalled by the CPSC because of toxic levels of lead in the paint – a frequent problem with products from China.
- Magnet toys that could perforate your child’s intestines: About 800 Mag Stix Magnetic Building Sets were recalled by the CPSC, which found the plastic sticks can be swallowed or aspirated. The agency found one 8-year-old girl was hospitalized after swallowing loose magnets. Extensive surgery was required to remove the magnets and repair intestinal perforations.
 Recalled toy castles |
The latest consumer product recalls come in the wake of a series of scandals involving Chinese imports – ranging from pet food to seafood intended for human consumption to children’s toys and counterfeit electrical products.
Following the pet food poisoning that killed or maimed an estimated 39,000 cats and dogs in the U.S., WND embarked on an investigation of other Chinese imports. What it has found to date:
- Foods imported for consumption by American humans may be, in some cases, as dangerous as the pet food. A WND study found the vast majority of imported foods rejected as unfit for human consumption by the Food and Drug Administration are from China. FDA inspectors report tainted food imports intended for American humans are being rejected with increasing frequency because they are filthy, are contaminated with pesticides and tainted with carcinogens, bacteria and banned drugs.
- China, the leading exporter of seafood to the U.S., is raising most of its fish products in water contaminated with raw sewage and compensating by using dangerous drugs and chemicals, many of which are banned by the Food and Drug Administration.
- The deadly contaminant found in Chinese-made toothpaste – diethylene glycol – is a solvent used in antifreeze that killed 107 Americans when it was introduced in an elixir 70 years ago.
- A resurgence in lead-poisoning cases in U.S. children is being linked to Chinese imports – toys, makeup, glazed pottery and other products that contain significant amounts of lead and are being recalled by the CPSC on a regular basis.
- Imports from China were recalled by the CPSC twice as often as products made everywhere else in the world, including the U.S., showed a WND study of 2007 government reports.
- The rising cost of fireworks, almost all of which are made in China, as well as safety concerns and human rights concerns about the conditions of those manufacturing the products resulted in a decrease of Independence Day displays in the U.S. this week.
- WND revealed there are currently no safety standards established between the U.S. and China on food, drugs and other imports. As a result of WND’s series, members of Congress began working on setting new standards.
- WND revealed how China is shipping to the U.S. honey tainted with a potentially life-threatening antibiotic as well as adulterating exports with sugar.
 Recalled jewelry |
Asked about all this in a White House briefing last week, press secretary Tony Snow lashed out angrily at suggestions widespread dumping of cheap, dangerous Chinese products was being tolerated by the federal government.
Snow said if products are unsafe they should be recalled. But he dismissed suggestions that any further crackdowns are warranted.
WND White House correspondent Les Kinsolving asked the following question: “In just the past few weeks, there have been reports of China-made toys being recalled because of dangers of lead paint, China-produced food with contaminants, and even China-produced honey laced with a drug. And now it’s being reported that Chinese-made tires are probably faulty and dangerous. What is being done to crack down on what appears to be a concerted effort to dump damaging or dangerous Chinese products on the American public?”
 Recalled magnets |
“Well, those are your conclusions,” Snow responded. “Yes, it is. Yes, it is. … What you have done is you have insinuated a conspiracy to dump these things on the American marketplace. Obviously, when you have problems with the safety of things, you deal with it, including the recall of 450,000 tires.”
The tire recall was for some 450,000 made in China. U.S. government inspectors believe they could separate during use, resulting in major safety hazards. At least one fatal accident already had been blamed on the situation.
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