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Senator Wants Congressional Hearing on Chinese Toy Imports

By Truman Lewis
ConsumerAffairs.com

June 27, 2007

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Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) is calling for a Congressional hearing to investigate reports of unsafe toys coming from China.

Klobuchar, a member of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee – whose jurisdiction includes product recalls – requested Senate action in analyzing the underlying concerns of toy safety, China’s role and what can be done to safeguard children from potentially harmful products.

Although recalls of Chinese-made toys are not unusual, the June 13 recall of 1.5 million Thomas and Friends trains and railroad sets drew wide notice because the train sets are expensive and popular with higher-income families.

The expensive train sets were found to be coated with possible poisonous lead paint. Also recalled because of lead paint were sets of toy drums and a toy bear. An infant wrist rattle was recalled because of a choking hazard.

In a single week, news reports revealed that all of the 24 toys recalled by the U.S. came from China and 60 percent of all recalls across the board for any product were made in China as compared to 36 percent in 2000, Klobuchar said.

There have been a total of 71 toys and children's products recalled so far this year, according to the ConsumerAffairs.com recall section.

“As a parent of a 12 year-old and as a Member of the Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Consumer Affairs, Insurance and Automotive safety, I am alarmed by these statistics and concerned that the risks our children face in playing with these unsafe toys are not being adequately addressed,” Klobuchar said.

Klobuchar said increased congressional scrutiny over Chinese imported products, including toys, is "essential to ensure the enforcement of existing consumer safety-related regulations and to address any voids or gaps in the law."

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