White House, China fought lead-paint rules as More inspections resisted

By Kevin G. Hall
McClatchy Newspapers

Washington - The Bush administration and China have both undermined efforts
to tighten rules designed to ensure that lead paint isn't used in toys,
bibs, jewelry and other children's products.

Both have fought efforts to better police imported toys from China. Now,
both are under increased scrutiny after last week's massive toy recall by
Mattel Inc., the world's largest toymaker. The recalls follow several other
lead-paint-related scares since June that have affected products featuring
Sesame Street characters, Thom as the Train and Dora the Explorer.

Lead paint is toxic when ingested by children and can cause brain damage or
death. It has been mostly banned in the United States since the late 1970s
but is permitted in the coating of toys, providing it amounts to less than
six parts per million. The Bush administration has hindered regulation on
two fronts, consumer advocates say. It stalled efforts to press for greater
inspections of imported children's products, and it altered the focus of the
Consumer Product Safety Commission, moving it from protections for consumers
to a more manufacturer-friendly approach.

"The overall philosophy (of the administration) is regulations are bad, and
they are too large a cost for industry, and the market will take care of
it," said Rick Melberth, director of regulatory policy at OMBWatch, a
government watchdog group formed in 1983. Today, more than 80 percent of all
U.S. toys are made in China; few get inspected.
"We've been complaining about this issue, warning it is going to happen, and
it is disappointing that it has happened," said Tom Neltner, co-chairman of
the Sierra Club's national toxics committee.

President Bush has asked the Department of Health and Human Services to
report next month on ways to better ensure safe imports.
He also has asked the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to consider
responses to lead-paint threats to children.

But as recently as December, the Sierra Club sued the Bush administration
after the Environmental Protection Agency rebuffed a petition to require
health-and-safety studies for companies that use lead in children's
products. The EPA and Sierra Club settled out of court in April, with the
administration agreeing to write a letter to the CPSC that expressed concern
about insufficient quality control on products containing lead.

From 1994 until 2001, Ann Brown headed the CPSC under Presidents Clinton and
Bush. She didn't push for a ban on lead in all children's products, partly
because China's rise to export prowess hadn't yet unfolded.

"Today, I would say there should be an outright ban on any lead in any toy
product," Brown, who's working with Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's
presidential campaign, said in an interview.

Summary of Lead-related toy Recalls

Recalls of toys made in China because of dangerous levels of lead paint include:

* About 23,500 more necklaces, bracelets and pendants imported by Toby N.Y.C. of New York. Phone: 866-235-0588.

* About 850 children's Spinning Wheel Necklace necklaces, produced by Rhode Island Novelty of Cumberland, R.I. Phone: 800-528-5599. Online:
www.rinovelty.com

* Happy Giddy Gardening Tools and Children's Sunny Patch Chairs, imported by Target Corp. of Minneapolis. The recall involves 350,000 of the toys. The gardening tools and chairs were manufactured by Starite International Ltd. of Taiwan. Phone: 800-440-0680. Online: www.target.com

* About 200,000 Thomas and Friends Wood Railway Toys and 800 Britain's "Knights of the Sword" series toys, distributed by RC2 Corp. of Oak Brook, Ill. The five recalled Thom as and Friends items include the all-black cargo car, toad vehicle, olive green sodor cargo box and all-green maple tree top and signal base accessories. The "Knights of the Sword" recalled toys products include a mounted silver knight on a red horse with an ax; a mounted silver knight on a red horse with two hands on a raised weapon; and a mounted silver knight on a red horse with a lance. Phone: 866-725-4407. Online: recalls.rc2.com <http://recalls.rc2.com>

* About 16,000 children's toy rakes imported by Jo-Ann Stores Inc. of Hudson, Ohio. Phone: 888-739-4120, option 7. Online: www.joann.com/

* An estimated 10,000 Floor Puppet Theaters produced by Guidecraft Inc. of Englewood, N.J. Phone: 888-824-1308. Online: www.guidecraft.com

3 deaths spur recall of China Made cribs

1 million Graco, Simplicity beds called back after kids entrapped, suffocated after rails were improperly installed.  The maker of Simplicity and Graco cribs on Friday recalled about 1 million of the beds after mishaps that led to the deaths of three infants. "Don't take a chance at all," said Scott Wolfson, a spokesman for the Consumer Product Safety Commission, which announced the voluntary recall by Reading, Pa.-based Simplicity Inc., one of the largest U.S. crib manufacturers. "If you are a parent or caregiver that has one of these cribs impacted by these recalls, your baby should not sleep in that crib tonight."  The cribs, which were made in China and sold at major retailers nationwide, feature a "drop-side" railing that can pull away from the mattress. Infants can become trapped in the resulting gap and suffocate. Read Full Story

 

 

Pork products poison 300 in Shanghai

Pork products containing residue of toxic chemical clenbuterol have poisoned more than 300 people in the city since Wednesday.

Food authorities have discovered that the contaminated pork was produced in neighbouring Zhejiang Province.

The clenbuterol (the general term is Shouroujing in Chinese) poisoning is the city's largest in terms of victim numbers in recent years. As of Wednesday, more than 300 patients from the city's nine districts have gone to hospitals for treatment. Victims vomited, convulsed and sweated for several hours after consuming the pork products.

Renji Hospital's Pudong Branch has received 97 patients in two days, many of whom are from one family.

Food authorities on Friday afternoon told China Daily that they were still counting the number of victims, none of whom where reported in serious condition.

The Shanghai Food and Drug Administration found that the pigs were bought by the Shanghai Agricultural Products Central Wholesale Market from East China's Zhejiang Province and then sold to local food markets. The market was required to stop operating on Friday. However, victims are unlikely to be compensated, according to food authorities.

"This batch of 189 pigs was sold to 66 local food markets. The rest of the pork products have been contained and police have detained the dealer," said Xu Wei, an official with the administration.

The pork was not the only source of the poisoning. Food officials found many victims were poisoned after consuming pig internal organs (liver, kidney and lungs) where the tissues gathered more clenbuterol residue.

Victims bought these products from unlicensed vendors around the markets, who got the products at very low prices from the wholesale market.

Source: China Daily

 

Poison clothes add to China export scares

The safety problems affecting Chinese goods spread from toys to textiles on Monday as New Zealand said it would investigate allegations that imported children’s clothes contained dangerous levels of formaldehyde. The government ordered the probe after scientists hired by a consumer watchdog programme discovered formaldehyde in Chinese clothes at levels of up to 900 times regarded as safe. Manufacturers sometimes apply formaldehyde to clothes to prevent mildew. It can cause skin rashes, irritation to the eyes and throat and allergic reactions. The Warehouse, a New Zealand retailer, issued a recall at the weekend for children’s pyjamas made in China after two children were burned when their flannelette nightclothes caught fire. The New Zealand investigation is the first time that the safety of Chinese clothes has been called into question; concerns have been raised over a series of Chinese products in recent months, including toys, food and toothpaste. Last week, Mattel said it was recalling 18.2m toys globally because of hazards such as the use of lead paint.

Full Story

Lead-paint toys aren't the biggest risk

Old paint on the wall and small playthings such as rubber balls pose a much greater threat than recalled products, experts say.  Parents scoured children's playrooms and retailers scurried to clear their shelves after manufacturers ordered a series of recalls this summer, saying millions of popular toys may have been made with lead paint. But the risk of lead poisoning is as strong as ever, experts say; it's just that the biggest threat probably isn't in the toy box. Children are at greater risk of lead poisoning from living in a home with deteriorating old paint, or one that is going through a remodel, than they are from most toys, according to federal tallies.

Toys with lead paint don't even pose the biggest threat among playthings. Lead paint has been banned in the U.S. since 1978, but older homes typically have layers of it beneath newer coats. In good condition and left undisturbed, the lead paint poses little threat. But after it's chipped or begins creating dust, the danger grows.
"By far and away historically, the major concern about sources for lead has been your home," said Dr. Helen Binns, a professor of pediatrics and preventive medicine at Northwestern University's medical school. "You may handle your toy for a few moments a day, but if you're in a home going through remodeling, you generate dust throughout your whole house," Binns said. "So you're exposed everywhere you go, not just when you're playing."

 

Full Story

 

 

 

U.S. Recalls of China Goods Almost Triple Since June

Recalls of Chinese goods by U.S. companies almost tripled in the past three months, threatening to cut overseas revenue for the world's biggest consumer- products exporter.

Mattel Inc., the world's largest toymaker, withdrew more lead-tainted products from China last week, bringing the value of recalled toxic and dangerous Chinese goods to $430 million since June 6, from $152 million a year earlier, according to figures compiled from U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission data. The value of goods withdrawn from American shelves this year totals $1.08 billion.

Retail products are fueling China's expansion, with the fastest-growing major economy exporting $344 billion of consumer goods last year. Safety scares including poisonous toothpaste, defective tires and harmful toys have hurt sales at companies from Mattel to Menu Foods Income Fund, the owner of a Canadian pet-food maker.

``Right now `Made in China' might be making consumers pause a little longer than they might have,'' said Sean McGowan, a Wedbush Morgan Securities analyst in New York.

Full Story

260 Children Hospitalized after Food Poisoning in China

Two hundred and sixty children from a kindergarten in Wuwei City, Gansu Province, were hospitalized due to food poisoning, according to a report by Xinhua News Agency published on September 21.

An employee of Shiyan Kindergarten confirmed the incident, but said the number of sick children were not as high as reported. When asked about the exact number of victims and the cause of the incident, the employee only answered, "We are not allowed to accept any interviews." The manager of the kindergarten has been out of touch since the accident.

Wuwei City Public Security Bureau also confirmed the incident but refused to reveal any details. According to the employee who answered the phone, it would be up to "orders from above" when the details can be publicized.

The Chinese Communist Party usually categorizes food poisoning as "negative news" that should be avoided. Investigation outcomes for such incidents are not normally disclosed to the public, and people rarely find out if the officials in charge are punished. The unusually publicized report of this particular case by Xinhua News Agency has inspired suspicion that the situation is very serious.

Full Story

 

56,000 lunch boxes in Calif. recalled for lead

About 56,000 lunch boxes distributed by California in an effort to promote healthful eating may contain lead, and state officials Thursday urged consumers not to use them.

View article...

After recalls, playthings pile high

Gone is the 40-hour work week at Specialized Technology Resources Inc. Boxes of toys are piling up in the middle of its testing lab, workers are coming in on weekends, and product testers who normally would check tools or candles are working on chess sets and plastic cars.

View article...

1 million cribs sold in U.S. recalled

Simplicity Inc. is recalling about 1 million Chinese-made baby cribs which have been linked to at least two infant deaths, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said on Friday.

View article...

County, state offer help for lead issues

On a federal health agency's Web site, candy-colored photos show a variety of toys that could be any child's delight. Instead, the images show poison.  The toys are many: Barbie Doll's dog, bongo drums, trains, watercolor kits, duck-shaped watering cans, jewelry sets, spiral-bound books, dinosaurs and garden gloves.  All were recalled after tests found they were contaminated with lead, a toxin that when ingested can cause a raft of irrevocable problems to brains, kidneys, hearts and nervous systems. Children are especially vulnerable to lead poisoning.

But it's not just lead-tainted toys that have raised concern in recent weeks, as reflected by several recalls of products from China.  Common items that might contain hazardous levels of lead include old wall paint, clothing, glassware, candy from Mexico, pottery, gasoline, herb concoctions, certain home remedies, soil and even dust.

Last week, the California Department of Public Health added an item to the lead-recall list: vinyl-lined lunchboxes with designs promoting fruits and vegetables.

Full Story

 

U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission Information (Friend Request)

A friend, visited the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission's web site and requested that CPSC send the link http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml07/07273.html to you as you may find it of interest. Also, if your friend has an additional comment for you, it follows here: DETAILED TOY RECALL INFORMATION HERE http://newsfeedresearcher.com/data/articles_b34/idb2007.08.19.19.05.27.html

Fearing China

August, 8, 2007

Following last night's Democratic forum in Chicago, where commerce in Asia was a subject of debate, presidential candidates might want to take a look at the results of a new Zogby survey on trade with China. Some key findings: 63 percent of Americans "would be likely to participate in a boycott of Chinese goods until the country implements stricter safety regulations"; 61 percent "would be more likely to purchase a product with a 'China Free' label." Finally: "The vast majority (89%) believes the U.S. government should put stronger pressure on China and other foreign countries to increase product quality and safety standards, while nearly as many (85%) would support the U.S. government imposing stronger criminal penalties and fines on U.S. importers who allow dangerous products to be imported from foreign countries."

These results are all the more striking because the survey was conducted July 17-19 -- "before the announcement of a massive recall of Chinese-made toys by Fisher-Price, but after a significant recall of Chinese-made railroad toys...[C]ompanies recalled the products because they contained excessive levels of lead on the toys and parts." With the Fisher-Price recall drawing further attention to product safety concerns, the proportion of Americans who distrust goods imported from China could grow even more.

If other polls confirm these results, it looks like 2008 could make international trade an important policy issue for Americans of all partisan stripes. With nearly nine in ten Americans worried about the quality of products coming into their country from overseas, proposals to get "tougher on China" (as Hillary Clinton put it last night) might be appealing to voters even outside traditionally China-wary labor audiences. Outsourcing has not proven to be an issue with universal appeal. But if the debate over China moves away from a discussion over whether free trade is good for the economy, and toward one about whether Chinese products are threatening Americans' safety, protectionist-leaning candidates would certainly benefit.

Candidates like Mitt Romney, who spoke about trade with Asia at the June 5 Republican debate in New Hampshire, might be positioned exactly backwards on the issue. "Asia has come out of poverty," Romney said. "They're consumers. We can sell products to them: medicines, technology, energy." Appealing as this proposition might sound, American voters may be less excited about selling products to Asia than they are uneasy about the products Asia's selling us.

-- Alexander Burns

'China-Free' Movement Sneaks Into Korean Food Industry

The China-Free label movement is growing in South Korea

By Jane Han Staff Reporter

Next to the calories and nutrition details on the side of a food package, you may soon be looking at the words ``China-Free,'' as the labeling movement that debuted in the U.S. is quietly trickling into the local food and beverage industries.

The move, which was first triggered in June by a Utah-based health food company for consumer awareness, has stirred controversy that it may promote racism. But a rising number of American businesses, consumers and interest groups are welcoming the labeling method as Chinese food and other imports have recently been headline news for their unacceptable health and safety standards.

An online poll by U.S. news channel MSBNC showed that 77 percent of 9,865 people said they were in favor of the ``China-Free'' labeling since an at-a-glance sticker tells shoppers what they need to know right away, while only 7.7 percent said they were against it.

And with many local food makers noticing a similar trend against China-derived ingredients, more are focusing on marketing and delivering ``China-Free'' products to consumers.

Haitai Beverage said its May-released black bean tea sold more than 9.5 million bottles over the past four months thanks to its premium quality homegrown beans.

``Top grade ingredients are what we value most because once you lose consumers' trust, it's hard to regain it,'' said Haitai spokesman Park Dong-soo, adding that at times, it means losing a big profit margin. ``Chinese beans are much cheaper, but we're still relying on 100 percent Korean because we know the public demands this.

Continue Reading this Story

Mattel Recalls 774,000 Barbie, Other Toys With Lead

"Mattel Inc., the world's largest toymaker, recalled almost 774,000 Chinese-made Barbie and Fisher-Price products whose paint may contain excessive levels of lead, its third recall in the past five weeks. The recall includes 675,000 Barbie kitchen, living room and other furniture items as well as 90,000 Fisher-Price Geo Trax Locomotive toys and 8,900 Bongo Band drums. No injuries have been reported, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said today in a statement. Mattel recalled more than 20 million Chinese-made products last month in two separate instances because the toys contained unsafe levels of lead paint or had magnets that children may be able to swallow. The toymaker, based in El Segundo, California, may have to find new sources of low-cost goods as China struggles to repair its reputation as an exporter. Mattel is pulling toys off shelves going into the holiday season, which accounted for 69 percent of 2006 sales. The world's most populous nation supplies 80 percent of the U.S. toy market. Shares of Mattel, which also makes Hot Wheels and Matchbox cars, rose 34 cents, or 1.6 percent, to $21.97 as of 4:25 p.m. in New York Stock Exchange composite trading before the recall announcement. (Details on the products being recall can be found at http://www.cpsc.gov

The New Chinese Take-Out

By Michael E. Telzrow

Lucia Cruz, a 74-year-old Panamanian grandmother, and at least 365 of her countrymen died last year from ingesting tainted medicine. Somehow a deadly chemical had found its way into cough syrup produced in a government laboratory. What Panamanians thought was a harmless over-the-counter drug turned out to be an elixir of death. Local doctors were mystified by Cruz's initial symptoms. Unable to explain the rapid onset of acute kidney failure, they directed her to a public hospital. More disturbing was the fact that Cruz was not alone.
Dozens of other Panamanians were exhibiting the same symptoms. Dr. Jorge Motta, director of the Gorgas Institute, a joint U.S.-Panamanian medical initiative conceived to combat avian flu, suspected an emerging infectious disease. "Was it West Nile or E. coli or some post-influenza disease? Could it run through the population?" thought Motta. Neither he nor others, like Dr. Cirilio Lawson, the general director of the Ministry of Health, knew what was sickening the population. They only knew that it was spreading quickly, and that it was deadly.

While Panamanian doctors and officials worked to discover the cause of the sudden syndrome, Cruz and dozens of others lay in agony as the supposed disease ravaged their internal organs. Wracked by nausea, vomiting, and high fever, Cruz watched as her limbs swelled to twice their normal size. Her painful journey came to an end just weeks after the onset of symptoms. Her doctors, fearful that she had succumbed to a deadly communicable disease, advised her family to cremate her body.

In the following months, government officials successfully identified the cause of the illness as diethylene glycol - a highly toxic organic solvent commonly found in anti-freeze and other industrial applications. Its source was contaminated cough medicine. By then over 300 Panamanians lay dead.....FULL STORY

Toy Shopping

On-line Form for Recall Announements

"This form allows you to subscribe or unsubscribe to CPSC's email subscription lists (we have prepared a detailed description of our list system to help you make the best subscription choice). Enter your email address, click the list of your choice, and then click 'Subscribe' or 'Unsubscribe'. You can also subscribe and unsubscribe by sending us an email message. If neither method works, please contact pmargolies@cpsc.gov for assistance"

ON-LINE Substription Form

Lead Hazard in Children's Toys

Lead Hazard in Children's Toys: "Arguments about 'safe' levels of lead in children's products are specious, based on an entirely outdated understanding of the biology, especially the neurobiology, of growing young children. I think that when they come from official sources, such as the CPSC, they are disingenuous and ultimately politically driven, with a view to protecting potentially affected economic interests. Lead accumulates in the body, both in nerve tissue and bone. It can replace Calcium in both tissues, thus compromising nerve conduction and adding to a 'savings bank' of accumulated lead in bone. The affinity of lead for nerve tissue is a significant problem for growing children; the younger they are, the more vulnerable. The consequences of lead in the nervous system may include behavioral problems and cognitive impairment."

Fisher-Price Toy Manufacturer Commits Suicide

"The AP is reporting that the manufacturer of the plant that produced the recalled fisher-price toys has committed suicide. Suicide response is commonplace in China. The pressures of producing at low cost teamed with the consequences of bringing embarrassment to the Chinese government, (a country with the highest capital punishment rates,) cause many to fear. Some commit suicide over intense guilt as some Doctors that have been required to harvest organs from living prisoners have done."

LINK TO ARTICLE

Chinese Corruption on Hidden Camera

Beijing Olympics? So what.

Beijing Olympics? So what - International Herald Tribune: "Here's a contrarian question concerning the 2008 Beijing Olympics: Who cares? Sure, it's a big deal - the media are telling us so. One year out, we're being bombarded by countdown articles about how grand and historic the event will be: massive construction projects, an army of foreign journalists, Steven Spielberg-directed pageantry and, oh yeah, some sporting events. China sees the games as a coming-out party, a showcase for its rising stature as a world power. Critics see them as a perfect opportunity to push China for greater openness, more tolerance for dissent and better behavior as a global citizen."

Fear and Loathing of Chinese Food Imports

"'Quick-drying glue -- don't worry if you accidentally glue some things together, they are easily separated. Wooden chop sticks -- they shorten over time to let you know when to throw them away. Parts of them splinter off to be used as tooth-picks. Airtight containers -- if you store kimchi or sauces in them, they'll automatically breathe themselves. Sprays -- their nozzles will gradually widen until the products can be used as water guns. Thermometers -- they keep the room temperature at the same level year round. Shavers -- they are handy when you don't have a potato peeler. Pencils -- their leads fall out and can be replaced easily...' ▶These of course are jokes found online about the 'strong points' of Chinese products. They may be slight exaggerations, but.... " Digital Chosunilbo (English Edition) : Daily News in English About Korea:

Toothpaste Products Made In China

Toothpaste Products Made In China Manufacturer: Goldcredit International Enterprises Products: (MainStar America, Selective Imports, Donnamax)
* Superdent Coolmint
* Cooldent Coolmint
* Cooldent Spearmint
* Cooldent Fluoride
* Everfresh Assortment
* BrightMax
* DentaPro
* Dentakleen
* Dentakleen Junior Brand - Strawberry
* Dentakleen Junior Brand - Blueberry
Manufacturer: Gold Credit International Trading Co Products:
* Bright Max Peppermint Flavor
* Clean Rite Toothpaste
* Clean Rite Toothpaste Kit
* Oralmax Extreme Action Kit
* Oral Bright Fresh Spearmint Flavor
* DentaKleen
* DentaKleen Junior
* DentaPro Manufacturer: Suzhou City Jinmao Daily Chemicals Co. Ltd. Product: (Gold City Enterprises/New Star, Miami, FL)
* ShiR Fresh Mint Fluoride Paste
* ShiRFresh Toothpaste
* ShiRFresh Mint
* ShiRFresh Ice Mint Manufacturer Shanghai Light Industrial Products: Freshh Spearmint (Following up with Mandalay International, Ogden, UT) MFR Unknown: Crescent Toothpaste (Dollar Ocean #4, Wheaton, MD and H&Y Trading Co, Capitol Heights, MD) Naturabella nino Dusanzo (Certejenas Inc.,>Cidra, PR)Manufacturer: Suzhou Qing Xin Daily Chemical Co., Ltd.
* Pacific Fluoride Toothpaste
* Pacific Fluoride Gel Toothpaste Manufacturer: Guangdong Wellknown Ceramics Co., Ltd.
* Tian Qi Toothpaste FDA has identified the following counterfeit product:
Manufacturer: Unknown
* counterfeit toothpaste falsely packaged as "Colgate," manufactured in
South Africa
* counterfeit tooth gel falsely packaged as "Colgate," manufactured in South Africa (may not contain DEG)

China's exploding mobile phone batteries

Another consumer product disaster in China: exploding mobile phone batteries
By David Barboza
Published: July 6, 2007

SHANGHAI: After concerns over pet food, toothpaste, seafood and defective tires, China may now have to cope with another consumer product disaster: exploding mobile phone batteries.

Chinese regulators in the southern Guangdong Province, one of the world's biggest electronics manufacturing centers, said this week that they had found Motorola and Nokia mobile phone batteries that failed safety tests and were prone to explode under certain conditions.

The batteries were said to be manufactured by Motorola and the Sanyo operation in Beijing, and were being distributed by companies based in the Guangdong Province, near Hong Kong - one of China's biggest export centers.

It is unclear whether any of the substandard and hazardous batteries entered the export market. The announcement came just a day after China's state-controlled news media reported that in June a 22-year-old man in western China was killed after his Motorola cellphone exploded in his shirt pocket.

Chinese Food: What About The Children?

We flipped out when children might have seen Janet Jackson's nipple on tv, but yet again another product made in China has been contaminated, and the outcry isn't nearly as great.

A children's snack made in China has been recalled after 54 cases of salmonella. Parents of a toddler who had violent bloody diarrhea after eating this product have sued the company. Chinese products are continuing to be recalled, often after damage is done, but is this an effective strategy in dealing with the problem?

Dog and cat food, animal feed, apple juice concentrate, children's snacks, and baby bibs are being recalled as unsafe and we shake our heads and ignore the situation.

Some things like the engine coolant in the toothpaste were detected relatively quickly. The law of averages makes one safe in stating that there is some nasty things that we are putting in the mouths of our children, the elderly, and those with compromised immune systems that don't belong there.

Write your member of congress. Demand that the FDA actually give a damn about our food. This is not about xenophobia. I trust products made in Japan. I trust products made in Australia. We are being inundated with crap from China though where regulations seem to be in an Ayn Rand fantasy land at the moment.

Is Janet Jackson's nipple really more offensive than that?

Posted by trifecta at 7:17 PM

Timeline of hazardous made-in-China products, 2007

Who-Sucks.com has compiled a master timeline of incidents involving dangerous (sometimes lethal) "made in China" products banned or recalled by the US Consumer Products Safety Commission in 2007. It's a big list. Well-known killers like Thomas the Tank Engine of Death and Antifreeze Toothpaste are in here, but so are less-known gems like "razor blades for kids," "lead bracelets," "toxic jackets," and "dangerously crappy hammocks."

READ THE FULL LIST OF OVER 30 PRODUCTS

Can China Tame The Chinese Poison Train?

The Washington Post and The New York Times have done a magnificent job examining the complex nature of the Chinese Poison Train, but the Times finally cut to the chase and asked the million-dollar question: can China tame the Chinese Poison Train? The solution requires China to reform an ailing regulatory regime. As many as 17 bureaucracies have overlapping responsibilities in just the food and drug sphere, and they jealously guard their power. The Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Agriculture, the State Administration of Industry and Commerce, and the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine have all vied for monitoring roles. The reason they wanted to collect license fees and fines to supplement their measly budgets. No less significantly, inspectors and their bosses could collect bribes in exchange for favors. "It came down to turf warfare between departments," said Roger Skinner, a retired British regulator who advised the Chinese government on improving food safety on behalf of the World Health Organization. "If they can't enforce, they will lose revenue." Realizing they had created a muddle of competing bureaucracies, top leaders in 2003 formed the State Food and Drug Administration, named after its American counterpart, that on paper had "super-ministerial authority" to coordinate all the others that monitored the politically sensitive food and drug sphere.
Read Full Article

A year without 'Made in China'

A year without 'Made in China' By Sara Bongiorni BATON ROUGE, LA. - Last year, two days after Christmas, we kicked China out of the house. Not the country obviously, but bits of plastic, metal, and wood stamped with the words "Made in China." We kept what we already had, but stopped bringing any more in. The banishment was no fault of China's. It had coated our lives with a cheerful veneer of toys, gadgets, and $10 children's shoes. Sometimes I worried about jobs sent overseas or nasty reports about human rights abuses, but price trumped virtue at our house. We couldn't resist what China was selling. But on that dark Monday last year, a creeping unease washed over me as I sat on the sofa and surveyed the gloomy wreckage of the holiday. It wasn't until then that I noticed an irrefutable fact: China was taking over the place. It stared back at me from the empty screen of the television. I spied it in the pile of tennis shoes by the door. It glowed in the lights on the Christmas tree and watched me in the eyes of a doll splayed on the floor. I slipped off the couch and did a quick inventory, sorting gifts into two stacks: China and non-China. The count came to China, 25, the world, 14. Christmas, I realized, had become a holiday made by the Chinese. Suddenly I' d had enough. I wanted China out.....


Read this great article about how globalization affects our lives.

Buying China-free products a hard task

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) - Whether U.S. shoppers are concerned about food and product safety, set on making a political statement against outsourcing or simply intent on showing a little patriotism, they are sure to have a tough time avoiding products made in China. Chinese exports have been in the spotlight since the deaths of dogs and cats in North America attributed to tainted Chinese wheat gluten, followed by this week's recall of Chinese-made radial tires and an alert Thursday by the Food and Drug Administration,
warning about contaminated Chinese seafood. My family hit some stores to see how hard it would it be for the average consumer to pull off a 'Made in China' boycott -- even for just a week....
Read full acoount

Is the C6 Corvette "China Free"?

OK, we have heard it all, from lead poisoning to defective products like tires and others. Made in China is almost synomous with a WARNING LABEL. I know Corvette is made in USA but is it truely a "China Free" product? Any parts made in China? Just curious....with nearly everything is manufactured
in China these days (Like that computer you are typing on, your phone, Ipod, Television, clothes, shoes, on and on...). Almost all electronic parts are manufactured in China. Some are from Korea, Malaysia, and even a select few from the US. That's right, many of those electronic parts in your car come from China. Reuters noted that GM now buys about 32% of its parts from low-cost countries such as China. Yes, you have Chinese parts in your vette, and every other car you own...and just about everything else you purchase. If it is not manufactured in China, then some of the parts likely are.

Join the discussion...

China-Free Christmas: A Resource List

A Resource List: "tt won't be easy - but we're going China-Free this Christmas. I've started to collect resources and I'm happy to share my finds - please let me know if you know of any other online shops or websites that have ideas on how to avoid China-made toys."

Go there..

Sign the petition telling Congress what to do

Moms Rising: "Sign the petition to tell Congress and the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC): 'Testing children's products for toxic chemicals must be a priority. No more toxic toys and children's products!'"

China-Free Product from China?

This Chinese sounding clensing lotion proudly displays China-Free on its web site. How akward is that?

"Ginkgo Natural Cleansing Tissue Feature Simply cleans with a sheet of ginkgo-infused tissue. Perfect, alcohol-free cleansing action removes thick makeup and dirt while ginkgo naturally revitalizes your tired skin. * Contains 2,050 mg of Ginkgo extract "

Voice-Up: China-Free Non-Poisonous Goods

"In a recent Time magazine article,it was announced that a US-based group called 'Food for Health International' has plans to apply 'China-free' stickers on its goods.The subtext of these stickers will read ''These products won't make you sick or have harmful contaminants like melamine.' I personally think its a great idea and would welcome this little bit of help when I shop.Just recently I got to thinking about how in the world am I--or anyone else--going to tell the difference between poisoned and dangerous products and those that are not? Believe me,not all stores have plans to remove tainted products.Matter of fact,it's been reported that many grocers still carry the posioned China-made pet food that has been killing off our pets,just as there are plans by some stores to keep Mattel's toys on the shelves.Speaking of which......."