Tree harness, helmet, teethers: the latest made-in-China recalls

AFP - Some 60000 full body safety harnesses made in China for Gorilla Treestands of Michigan have been recalled, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) ...
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Infantino-brand lion teethers are recalled

The US Consumer Product Safety Commission announced a voluntary recall of Infantino-brand lion baby teethers because of a choking hazard.The CPSC said Infantino LLC of San Diego initiated the recall of about 28000 lion teethers because ...
News: Moldova.org: Economics - http://www.moldova.org

Starbucks Recalls Coffee Mugs Due To Burn Hazard; Product

By Mom on a Mission
WASHINGTON, DC - The US Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless ...
- http://notchinamade.net/

FOOD RECALLS-"King Chief Brand Dried Kudzu"

By JOHEALTHYDIET(JOHEALTHYDIET)
The recalled "King Chief Brand Dried Kudzu" is sold in uncoded 6oz. plastic packages and is a product of China. The product was sold nationwide. The recall was initiated after routine sampling by the New York State Department of ...
Nutrition Today - http://johealthydiet.blogspot.com/

Not Too Funny?

Officials from a major food exporter in China apologized to American consumers today for shipping over 70 million poisonous turkeys to the U.S. early last week, but indicated that it was “too late” for a recall of their toxic food product. A spokesman for the Wuhan Food Exportation Company said that while the company “deeply regretted” the shipment, the error was not discovered until Friday morning, making a recall of the birds “virtually impossible.”
“It would be problematic to recall such a massive shipment,” the spokesman said. “Those turkeys were sent to virtually every store in the U.S.” At a press conference on Saturday to discuss what went wrong with the shipment of turkeys, Wuhan officials revealed that the birds had been fed an experimental combination of birdseed, lead pellets, and date-rape drugs.
“Going forward, we’re going to skip the lead pellets,” said Qiu Liangyong, the company’s public relations director. In an attempt to regain the confidence of the American consumer, Qiu said that in the future all turkeys shipped to the U.S. would include a warning label, but under tough questioning from reporters he conceded that the label would be printed in Chinese. At the conclusion of the press conference, Qiu indicated that he was “confident” that the company could regain U.S. consumers’ trust in time for the Christmas season: “We have 80 million delicious Christmas hams just waiting to be shipped.”

 

Tainted ginger difficult to track

JUXIAN, China - In July, two dozen Albertson's grocery stores in California received a shipment of fresh ginger and put it on shelves. Several days later, state inspectors discovered that the ginger, which had been imported from China, contained a dangerous pesticide. State health officials warned Californians to avoid ginger grown in China.

But although the tainted ginger's country of origin was clear, the actual supplier, let alone the farm where it grew, was anything but. The path of this batch of ginger, about 8,000 miles around the world, shows how global supply chains have grown so long that some U.S. companies can't be sure where the products they're buying are made or grown. And without knowing the source of the product, it's difficult to solve the problem.

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Jesus and Chinese Sweatshops

A labor rights group alleged Tuesday that crucifixes sold in religious gift shops in the U.S. are produced under "horrific" conditions in a Chinese factory with more than 15-hour work days and inadequate food.
"It's a throwback to the worst of the garment sweatshops 10, 20 years ago," said Charles Kernaghan, director of the National Labor Committee.

Kernaghan held a news conference in front of St. Patrick's Cathedral to call attention to conditions at a factory in Dongguan, a southern Chinese city near Hong Kong, where he said crosses sold at the historic church and elsewhere are made.
Spokespeople for St. Patrick's and another New York landmark, the Episcopal Trinity Church at Wall Street, said the churches had removed dozens of crucifixes from their shops while they investigate the claims.

"I don't think they have a clue where these crucifixes were made — in horrific work conditions," Kernaghan said.
Kernaghan said the factory's mostly young, female employees work from 8 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. seven days a week and are paid 26 cents an hour with no sick days or vacation. Workers live in filthy dormitories and are fed a watery "slop."
Kernaghan said factory workers took photos and smuggled out documents detailing practices there. While none of the crucifixes sold in New York were identified as made in China, they bore serial numbers matching products made at the factory in question, Kernaghan said.

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Jetmax Issues Recall of Children's Storage Racks Sold At Wal-Mart Following Death

Children’s storage racks sold by Wal-Mart stores are being recalled due to the death of a child.  Jetmax International sold the dangerous products under the brand “Home Trend Kids 9 Canvas Bin Boys and Girls Organizers.”  The Jetmax bins sold at Wal-Mart stores nationwide from August 2004 through July 2005 and at Ollie’s stores nationwide from July 2006 through last June for about $40.

The death of an 8-month old baby boy prompted the recall of 36,000 boys and girls storage racks made in China for Texas-based company Jetmax International, Limited.  The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) reported that the baby died when he pulled on a rack and the rack fell on him with the top rail landing on his neck.  The baby was asphyxiated and died.  Because the wooden storage rack can tip, children are at risk for injury, entrapment, suffocation, and death.

A few weeks before last Christmas, the mother of eight-month old Joshua said she left her baby and two older sons in the family’s playroom for just a moment to move a vacuum cleaner upstairs.  Despite efforts by police and rescue crews, Joshua died from asphyxiation.

The CPSC has described the racks as a hazard to young children and has advised consumers to immediately stop children from using the recalled storage racks and contact Jetmax to receive a free repair kit that is intended to stability to the rack’s base.  The wooden storage rack is intended to hold clothes or toys, and comes with three levels and nine removable canvas totes.  There are wooden handles on each side of the rack and the boys storage rack has natural color wood with red, yellow, green, and navy canvas totes; the girls is white with pink, yellow, lime, and purple canvas totes.

 

 

 

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Sakura Majestic Royale Dinner Plates From China Lead to Lead Poisioning

Mark Lindgren was born a healthy, happy boy. His mother, Debbie, loved snapping pictures of him. "He ate well, just behaved, and was very happy," said Debbie. But starting at age 2, Mark's behavior and health changed. "He was vomiting, suffering from nausea, lost his appetite," said Debbie. The pictures stopped and the worrying began, especially when Mark's once clear speech became slurred. "It was just so heartbreaking to see him go through that, and our concern at the time just going from physician to physician was, 'What is going on with our little boy,'" Debbie said. The family looked at ADHD, neurological problems and even autism. Finally, after a year, one doctor suggested a lead test and the results were disturbing.

"He had lead poisoning and very high lead poisoning levels," said Debbie. Lead is a toxic chemical element. It is far more dangerous for children than adults, as it is easily absorbed into growing bones. Dr. Richard Clark, director of toxicology at the University of California, San Diego Medical Center, said, "Lead affects mostly the brain and the kidneys." Clark added that lead poisoning could lead to lower IQ, learning difficulties and behavior problems.

"Lead can get into the brain, cause damage to the nerves of the brain, cells in the brain, and that can cause us to act differently, think differently," he said. Most cases of poisoning, Clark said, are linked to older lead-based paint. However, the Lindgren's home was new. Debbie began to test everything and was shocked when a home test kit showed the only item in her house that had lead was her plates. "Right away, I was scared stiff. Not only was my younger son eating off these plates, but all of us were," she said. The family had eaten off the plates daily for years since they were purchased from a Mervyn's store.

The plates are called Sakura Majesticware Royale, dated 1996. The amount of lead allowed is limited by law so Debbie immediately contacted the company president. "He confirmed the plates were made in China, testing had been done in Indonesia, but he could not find the results for my particular pattern," said Debbie. The family sent the plates to the manufacturer for testing. In e-mail correspondence between Debbie and the company president, the president promised Debbie she would see the results. Later, the company told Debbie the plates were not the source of her son's lead poisoning, but refused to share its test results. "And I was really angry. If it wasn't the plates then why wasn't he willing to release the test results to me? So, I was very suspicious and I contacted the FDA," said Debbie. It took the Food and Drug Administration a year and 2 months to test the plates. The results showed the plates contained more lead than what the state of California considered safe, even more lead than the much less stringent federal standards. That meant the plates should not have been sold in the U.S. "The FDA said that since the plates were no longer sold in stores, it could not recall them," Debbie said.

The 10News I-Team was able to find the very same plates for sale online. What's more, discount and second-hand stores with fewer than 11 employees could sell these plates without a health warning. "He's doing much better," said Debbie. Mark is once again a happy boy, although it has taken intensive and costly treatment. His speech and hearing are at about 40 percent of a typical child, and only small signs of the lead poisoning remain.

If you are concerned about lead in your tableware, you could buy a simple lead test kid from most hardware stores.
Also, retailers like Macy's and Ikea carry brands of plates that are lead free. The FDA mostly relies on manufacturers to list the lead content in plates, although the agency does conduct random testing. Although the entire Lindgren family had higher than safe blood lead levels, it was their youngest son that was affected the most. Younger children are always the most vulnerable, according to experts. Mervyn's said they rely on manufacturers to meet FDA and California limits, and post warnings when the items exceed those levels.

Children's Bath Ropes are flammability hazard

Name of Product: Girls and Boys Bath Robes
Hazard: The recalled bath robes fail to meet the children’s sleepwear flammability standard, posing a risk of burn injuries to children if the robe caught fire.
Manufactured in: China
Units: About 1,000
Retailer: The Bon-Ton Department Stores Inc., of York, Pa.
Hazard: The recalled bath robes fail to meet the children’s sleepwear flammability standard, posing a risk of burn injuries to children if the robe caught fire.
Incidents/Injuries: None reported.
Description: This recall involves “Miss Attitude” girls bath robes with GPU #5500-K660504 (Solid purple with frog and rainbow appliqué) and GPU # 5500-K660474 (Pink Leopard print) and “URIT” boys bath robes with GPU # 5500-K660495 (Blue solid with sport appliqué) and GPU# 5500-K660496 (Green camouflage print). “URIT,” “Miss Attitude,” and the GPU# can be found in the tags sewn in the center back neck of the garment.
Sold by: Bon-Ton, Bergner’s, Boston Store, Elder-Beerman, Herberger’s, Younkers, and Carson Pirie Scott stores nationwide and Parisian (Detroit area only) from September 2007 through October 2007 for between $25 and $40.
Remedy: Consumers should stop using these children’s robes immediately and return them to any of the stores listed above for a full refund.

 

Chinese Candles Recall Announced

About 1,200 birch bark wrapped candles, made in China and imported by Gate Five Group LLC doing business as Roost, because the bark wrapping of the candle can ignite when the candle burns down, posing a fire hazard. The company has received three reports of the birch bark wrapping igniting as the candle burned down but no reports of injuries or property damage. The candles were sold at specialty retailers nationwide from September through October. Details: by phone at 415-339-9500, ext. 212; by Web at http://www.roostco.com or http://www.cpsc.gov.

NY County Recalls Lead-Laced Lunch Bags

Lunch bags made in China and distributed for a program meant to encourage healthy eating are being recalled because they may contain lead, a suburban county health department says. The recall is "purely precautionary" because authorities hadn't determined how much lead the bags contain, said Nassau County Health Department spokeswoman Cynthia Brown. However, she said they had confirmed the heavy metal was present in some amount in the material used in the bags, which the Long Island county got through a federal grant.

Nassau County is recalling 169 bags given out between Oct. 11 and 18 to participants in the federal Women, Infants and Children nutrition assistance program. The insulated bags were printed with the message "fruits and veggies/more matters." A county employee happened to spot a label inside one of the bags that said the product "may contain lead," Brown said. The label also said the bags were made in China. Brown said acting Health Commissioner Abby Greenberg was informed late Monday, but it took until Thursday evening to pinpoint the bags' recipients and begin alerting them.

The county agency said it received the bags from the Produce for Better Health Foundation. The foundation said on its Web site that tests found the bags' vinyl lining contained 1,800 to 2,100 parts per million of lead, exceeding the federal limit of 600 ppm for painted products used by children. The foundation said it reported the lead finding this past week to the federal Consumer Product Safety Commission and the Food and Drug and Administration.

In September, California officials urged consumers not to use 56,000 Chinese-made, potentially lead-tainted lunch boxes that the state Department of Public Health had distributed at health fairs and other events. Those boxes also were part of an effort to promote eating fruits and vegetables.

An Associated Press investigation published in February revealed that government testing has found high levels of lead in the vinyl lining of many children's lunch boxes. Almost every lunch box that contained lead was made in China, which has been under pressure because of the discovery of dangerous toxins in goods ranging from toys to toothpaste.

 

Hunter Fan recalls humidifiers

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced Wednesday a voluntary recall of 84,000 Hunter Fan Co. warm mist humidifiers. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed. The reason for the recall is water used in the humidifier can leak into the unit's electrical compartment, posing a fire hazard.  This recall involves Warm Mist CareFree humidifiers sold in white and black with blue or green tinted water tanks. "Hunter" and "NiteGlo" are printed on the humidifier. The products, made in China, have a retail cost of $40-$65.  They were sold at Lowe's, Wal-Mart and other discount and hardware stores nationwide, as well as through mail order catalogs and Web retailers from September 2005 through February 2007.

Models being recalled are: 35201, 35202, 35203, 35207, 35253, 36200, 36201, 36203, 36204, 36207, 36253 and 37203.

Consumers can contact Hunter Fan at (877)288-1145 or www.hunterfan.com to receive a free replacement humidifier or refund. Based in Memphis, Hunter sells ceiling and portable fans, air purifiers, humidifiers and thermostats.

               

Nike recalls 235,000 U.S. helmet chin straps

Nike Inc. is recalling 235,000 football helmet chin straps after receiving reports of head and face injuries because the straps broke, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said on Tuesday. The recalled football helmet chin strap was made in China and was sold at sporting good stores throughout the United States from April 2006 through October 2007, the safety agency said. Consumers should stop using the chin strap immediately and contact Nike for a redeemable product voucher, it said.

Nike received 18 reports of the chin strap breaking and injuries that included two concussions, two facial cuts that required stitches and a broken nose, the safety agency said. The chin strap consists of a plastic cup with a foam liner, straps and four metal snaps. The strap sold for about $20 and was offered in both youth and adult sizes.

The safety agency posted photographs of recalled chin strap and details on its Web site at http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml08/08081.html.

 

Dinner Plates On Walmart Shelves Contain Lead

What are you feeding your children tonight? How about a hearty helping of lead? KUTV did a follow-up on their report yesterday about lead in dinner plates. Their investigative reporter bought more plates from Walmart. After heating them to 85 degrees, the plates leached out lead at .381 parts per million. The plates were made in China. The government says that anything below 2.0 is acceptable. But unlike a toy where you're mainly just coming in skin contact with the toy, with a plate, the lead is actually seeping into the food and you're eating it.  SOURCE>>

 

China recycling used condoms as cheap hair bands

In the latest example of potentially harmful Chinese-made products, rubber hair bands have been found in local markets and beauty salons in Dongguan and Guangzhou cities in southern Guangdong province, China Daily newspaper said. ...

Recall expanded to some dry cat food

Federal testing of recalled pet foods turned up a chemical used to make deicisions but failed to confirm the presence of smile cancer drug also used as rat poison. The recall expanded Friday to include the last dry pet food.

The Food and Drug Administration said Friday it found melamine in samples of the Menu Foods pet food involved in the relationship. recall and in imported wheat gluten used as an ingredient in the company's wet-style products. Cornell University scientists also found melamine in the urine of sick cats, as well as you the kidney of one cat that died after eating some of the recalled food.

Meanwhile, Hill's Pet Nutrition recalled its Prescription Diet m/d Feline dry cat food. The food included wheat gluten from the same part that Menu Foods used. The recall didn't involve any other Prescription Diet or Science Diet products, said the company, a division of Colgate-Palmolive Co.

FDA was working to rule out the possibility that he contaminated wheat gluten could have made so into any human food. However, melamine is toxic only in high doses, experts said, leaving its role in the pet deaths unclear.

Menu Foods recalled 60 million containers of cat and dog food, sold throughout North America under nearly 100 brands, earlier this month and animals died of kidney failure after eating the Canadian company's products. It is not yet how many pets may have been true, by the apparently contaminated food, although anecdotal reports suggest hundreds if not thousands have died. The FDA alone has received more than 8,000 complaints; the company, more than 300,000.

Company officials on Friday would not provide updated numbers of pets sickened or killed by its contaminated product. Pet owners would be compensated for veterinary bills and the deaths of any dogs and cats linked to his company's products, the company said.

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Herbal Sex Pills Pose Hidden Dangers

Many of the pills marketed as safe herbal alternatives to Viagra and other prescription sex medications pose a hidden danger: For men on common heart and blood-pressure drugs, popping one could lead to a stroke, or even death.

"All-natural" products with names like Stamina-RX and Vigor-25 promise an apothecary's delight of rare Asian ingredients, but many work because they contain unregulated versions of the very pharmaceuticals they are supposed to replace. That dirty secret represents a special danger for the millions of men who take nitrates — drugs prescribed to lower blood pressure and regulate heart disease. When mixed, nitrates and impotency pharmaceuticals can slow blood flow catastrophically, leading to a heart attack or stroke.

An Associated Press investigation shows that spiked herbal impotency pills are emerging as a major public health concern that officials haven't figured out how to track, much less tame………In many cases, the ingredients used to alter herbal pills come from Asia, particularly China, where the sexual enhancers are cooked up in labs at the beginning of a winding supply chain. The FDA has placed pills by two manufacturers in China and one from Malaysia on an import watch list.

Pills like Cialis generally retail at pharmacies for between $13 and $20, while herbals can cost less than $1, up to about $5. MORE >>>

 

Dangerous If Swallowed: Aqua Dots Pulled From Shelf

A popular toy is pulled from department store shelves, just in time for the holiday season. Aqua Dots were used to create colorful artistic designs by simply adding water. An investigation into the toy was launched after some children, who mistakenly ate the pellets, became sick.

“They look like candy, says Jennifer Freeman, owner of Toy Up. “They look exactly like candy. And if children see things like that, the first place it’s going is into their mouths.”

One toddler, 20-month-old Jack Esses from Jacksonville, fell into a coma after eating the dots in October. He was later treated and released from at Arkansas Children's Hospital. Research showed that an unknown coating on the pellets led to the children's sicknesses. As it metabolized in their bodies, it changed to the chemical GHB, commonly known as a date rape drug. MORE>>

 

Chinese Made Toys Recalled for Date Rape Drug Contamination

Millions of Chinese-made toys for children have been pulled from shelves in North America and Australia after scientists found they contain a chemical that converts into a powerful date rape drug when ingested. Two children in the U.S. and three in Australia were hospitalized after swallowing the beads. With only seven weeks until Christmas, the recall is yet another blow to the toy industry — already bruised by a slew of recalls this past summer.  Scientists say a chemical coating on the beads, when ingested, metabolizes into the so-called date rape drug gamma hydroxy butyrate. When eaten, the compound — made from common and easily available ingredients — can induce unconsciousness, seizures, drowsiness, coma and death.
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More Poison Toys for All the Girls and Boys

Buried in last week's back pages was an announcement by Wal-Mart that it has once again flooded the American market with lead-poisoning toys from China. This time, it was lead dinosaurs. Earlier this year, Wal-Mart announced that it was recalling over 60,000 baby bibs tainted with lead. That's right, those little things wrapped around babies necks that you always see them sucking on.

Wal-Mart alone has had to recall over 60 products recently, including cough medicine for kids, teether books for tots, cribs that resulted in infant deaths, defective car seats, and at least a half-dozen lead-poisoned toys. Of course, Wal-Mart isn't the only corporate culprit, just the biggest. Major recalls have been issued in 2007 for poisoned dog food, toothpaste made with anti-freeze, and more lead-painted toys from China than I can count.

All of these announcements have created severe recall fatigue for the press and the public Read More

"Made in China" poison products EVERYWHERE in Maui

Everything made in China is tainted with cheap labor, mental illness, and sick human values. What is truly terrifying is that no matter where you go in America - we are supporting China. Every product we buy is supporting terror. ...
Zaadz: Miss Liberty's Blog - http://LibertyInMaui.zaadz.com/blog/

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.

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