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U.S.-China Agreement Aims to Ban Lead Paint

But Chinese official says criticism of China's safety record is "distorted"

By Joseph S. Enoch
ConsumerAffairs.com

September 11, 2007

Acting CPSC Chair Nancy Nord, left, and Chinese safety chief Wei Chuanzhong sign joint statement. Photo by Joe Enoch

The heads of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and China’s consumer regulatory agency today signed a joint statement agreeing to ban lead paint on products destined for the U.S. and to enforce other U.S. consumer laws, but the head of the Chinese agency denied responsibility and said reports of dangerous products from China are “distorted.”

A Canadian study, meanwhile, found that design errors by U.S. toy companies are to blame for most toy safety problems.

CPSC acting chairman Nancy Nord and China's General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection, and Quarantine (AQSIQ) Vice Minister Wei Chuanzhong signed the agreement at an ongoing “Consumer Product Safety Summit” today in Washington, D.C.

Chuanzhong said his agency will increase inspections of consumer products destined for the U.S. and help track down manufacturers, exporters and distributors who manufacture lead-tainted toys intended for U.S. sale. He warned that this agreement will not “achieve 100 percent” perfect results. Lead paint on toys has been banned in the U.S. since 1978.

In addition to lead painted toys, the agreement also covers lighters, fireworks and electronic goods exported from China.

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The agreement does not extend to lead-tainted children’s jewelry, which makes up the largest percent of toy recalls and often contains far more dangerous levels of lead compared to painted toys, CPSC spokesman Scott Wolfson said.

Among the many Chinese promises, one is to determine the source of dangerous products, often small factory subcontractors far removed from the final product. The Chinese government shut down the factory that produced the first lead-tainted Mattel toys this summer. Two days later the owner of that factory killed himself.

During Chuanzhong’s lengthy speech, he detailed many long lists of what his agency plans to do, but gave no specifics and appeared to say that this is not a serious problem and that even after this deal, this is still a U.S. problem.

Nord said “If we find that our lead paint ban is not being enforced, we will take very stringent enforcement activities.”

Wolfson said the CPSC cannot make any visits to China to ensure the government is following through with the agreement and he also said he doesn’t know what sort of “enforcement activities” the agency could pursue.

Alan Zoldan, executive vice president for B.J. Alan Company Fireworks in Youngstown, Ohio, said Chuanzhong’s promise was “hardly a vote of confidence” that any real change will take place.

“The Chinese government owns 70 percent of all the export companies,” Zoldan, whose company imports all its products from China said.

He said any serious change could blemish the nation’s profits.

In one year, the agencies will review the agreement’s effectiveness and identify possible areas to strengthen it.

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