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More Lead-Laden Toys Recalled

Aqua Dots bead sets recalled after children slip into comas

By Joseph S. Enoch
ConsumerAffairs.com

November 7, 2007

• Congress Reaches Agreement on Parts of Consumer Safety Bill • Consumers Press Congress to Pass Strong Product Safety Bill • Safety Agency Waits 16 Months to Recall Lead-Laden Key Chains • Lawmakers Propose Bill To Prevent 'Stove Tipping' • Senate Passes Tough New Consumer Safety Bill • Infant Deaths in the Nursery Increasing • Sears Stove Tip-Over Case Illustrates Safety Agency's Shortcomings • Next Season's Toys: Technology Meets Hannah Montana • Toys Safer than Ever, Toy Makers Claim • Toy Industry Needs Import Safety Checklist • Toys Getting Safer, Safety Chief Claims • Plastic War Hits The Toy Industry • Feds Propose New Furniture Fire Rule • Safety Recalls a Sign of Success? • Congressional Leaders Send Message to Mattel • Another Industry Lobbyist To Head Safety Agency? • $30 Million Settlement in Thomas & Friends Suit • Consumer Protection Bills Spark Bitter Lobbying Battle • Time Running out for Consumer Safety Agency --- • More Consumer Safety News • Recall Notices

The Consumer Product Safety Commission today announced seven more recalls of toys containing dangerous levels of lead paint and a Canadian company recalled millions of sets of bead toys that contain the same ingredients as a powerful "date rape" drug.

The recall includes 405,700 toys, with the most prominent being 380,000 “Pull-Back Action Toy Cars” sold at Dollar General.

The coating on the Aqua Dots beads that causes the beads to stick to each other when water is added contains a chemical that can turn toxic, officials said.

Why so many recalls all at once? The CPSC said it frequently groups these recalls together, because it is easier for one or two smaller recalls to go unnoticed.

“The focus is getting these announcements out as soon as possible and group them together to grab the attention of readers,” agency spokesman Scott Wolfson said. He denied that recalls are delayed for publicity reasons.

The other toys recalled today due to lead paint hazards were:

• 7,500 Dragster and Funny Car toys sold at National Hot Rod Association events
• 3,500 Duck Family Collectable Wind-Up Toys sold at specialty toy stores and gift shops throughout the U.S.
• 7,200 “Big Red” Wagons sold at Northern Tool & Equipment catalog, website and retail stores
• 3,600 Winnie-the-Pooh Spinning Tops sold at specialty toy stores and gift shops. This recall is in addition to 66,000 similar tops recalled August 22, 2007.
• 1,300 Dizzy Ducks Music Boxes sold at specialty stores and gift shops
• 2,600 “Robot 2000” Collectable Tin Robot sold at specialty stores and gift shops

All the toys were imported from China.

Parents should immediately take the toys away and return them for a full refund.

Get used to it

Consumers should get used to all these recalls until the laws are changed, said Rachel Weintraub, director of product safety for the nonprofit consumer advocacy group, Consumer Federation of America.

“There's no way for our current system to keep dangerous toys off shelves,” she said. “Until we get better laws in place, we can continue to see massive recalls such as this.”

One bill that may help to keep dangerous products out of the hands of consumers is the Consumer Product Safety Reform Act of 2007, now working its way through Congress.

The bill aims to boost the CPSC's funds, staff and regulatory powers. In recent years the Bush administration has been blamed for financially gutting the agency which has jurisdiction over 15,000 consumer products. Weintraub and other consumer advocates have heralded the bill as “the most important consumer law in decades.”

Weintraub's group, along with other consumer advocacy nonprofits, have lobbied hard for the legislation and Democrats in Congress have fast-tracked it into committee hearings and votes.

The Senate version of the bill, which is the stronger of the two versions, has already passed the committee level and is expected to be voted on by the entire Senate before Christmas. The House version, which was discussed in a hearing yesterday, has some compromises, but would still boost the agency's funding. It might be voted on before the end of the year as well.

The Bush administration released its proposals yesterday and appeared willing to bolster the agency, but gave no specifics how and still relies much on industry to regulate itself.

"I am pleased the President finally recognizes the threat of tainted imports to consumers," said Rep. John D. Dingell (D-Mich.), Chairman of the Committee on Energy and Commerce. "Unfortunately, there is little new information in today's announcement. In fact, the critical issue of funding is curiously absent from the proposal."

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