PRC food? Toys? Now clothes...
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Poison found in kids' clothes from China
Poison in children's clothing is emerging as the latest health risk from China.
TV3's Target programme will this week detail how scientists found formaldehyde in woollen and cotton clothes at levels 500 times higher than is safe.
It questions why there are no New Zealand safety standards for clothes.
National Poisons Centre spokesman Dr John Fountain told the Sunday Star-Times the testing had highlighted an area where little was known in New Zealand about the effects tainted clothing would have on people.
However, international research supported by the World Health Organisation shows exposure to formaldehyde in concentrations of 20 parts per million (ppm) can cause eye, skin and nasal irritations, respiratory problems, asthma and cancer.
The European Union limits formaldehyde residues in children's clothes to a maximum of 30ppm. The chemical is used to give a permanent press effect to clothes.
Consumers are advised to wash and air all clothes before they are worn for the first time.
Target producer Simon Roy said a variety of new clothes were tested, including a girl's top, school shorts, a Spiderman T-shirt, and pyjamas. Adult clothing was also tested. Roy said the results were so astounding the AgriQuality scientists thought they had made a mistake. "Our results were shocking, ranging from 230ppm to 18,000ppm.
This is almost unbelieveable. Some of the clothes Target tested have a reading 900 times the level that actually causes harm."
But the potential harm wasn't limited to formaldehyde or clothing made in China.
Four children's garments were tested for their ph level, which measures acidity or alkalinity. Levels outside 4 to 7.5 on the scale can damage skin. Two items, a pair of pants and a girl's top, had ph levels above 7.5. Roy said garments made in New Zealand with imported Chinese fabrics also contained chemicals such as harmful dyes that did not wash out or wear off the way formaldehyde did. That included clothes from top-end designer labels. Buying Kiwi-made or expensive brands was no safety net for consumers, he said.
Europe had banned 22 aromatic amine dyes which were known carcinogens. But Target investigations showed 10pc of clothes tested in China contained them and, once again, New Zealand had no regulations about what it accepted into the country.
Auckland mother Raewyn Rasch said the findings were horrifying.
She told the Star-Times her son bought four pairs of trousers labelled 100pc cotton. But even after washing, each pair caused a rash round his middle. Rasch thought formaldehyde could be a cause after she read about toxins in clothing. "What really annoys me is that, for mothers, kids are always coming up with scratches and marks and rashes. You ask them what they've been eating and where they've been. You wouldn't expect it to be the clothes they're wearing."
New Zealand consumers deserved protection and needed to know about the dangers they and their children were exposed to, she said.
Details of the unsafe clothing and its risks follow a global recall this month of millions of Mattel toys, also made in China and deemed unsafe. Sanitarium is now getting its peanut butter made in Australia rather than China because of consumer concerns, and last month a toothpaste made in China was recalled after it was found to contain a toxin used in anti-freeze.
Green MP Sue Kedgley said New Zealand risked becoming a dumping ground for unsafe imports, some of which China itself regulated against.
"I believe it is so serious it demands a parliamentary investigation of our complete lack of consumer protection for most products in New Zealand. Technically they are supposed to comply with the Consumer Guarantees Act but how would anyone know if it's being systematically breached when no one is looking or doing any monitoring?"
(source: Stuff NZ) -
poisonous clothes?? wah -
Anything also have.. next time is the underwear
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What is the similarity between the US's allegation of Iraq having WMD and Chinese toys? Read on.
Mattel sorry for 'design flaws'
Mattel has admitted that most of the toys recalled in recent safety scares had "design flaws" and that Chinese manufacturers were not to blame.
During talks in Beijing, a senior Mattel executive apologised for the damage that the incidents had done to the reputation of Chinese-made goods.
The recall of more than 20 million toys led some in the US to call for limits on the number of Chinese imports.
This followed other product scares over Chinese food, toothpaste and tyres.
'Full responsibility'
Until now, Chinese sub-contractors have borne the brunt of criticism over the recall of Mattel products over concerns about their excessive levels of lead paint.
The boss of one Mattel supplier was reported as having killed himself last month after toys his firm made for the US company's Fisher-Price subsidiary were among those recalled.
Chinese media reported that Zhang Shuhong, co-owner of the Lee Der Toy Company, had been found hanged in one of his factories.
Several firms have been fired, and Mattel has introduced mandatory audits on products coming out of Asia as well as tougher testing procedures.
The vast majority of these products that we recalled were the result of a flaw in Mattel's design
Thomas Debrowski, Mattel
But Thomas Debrowski, Mattel's executive vice president for worldwide operations, said on Friday that the firm should shoulder the burden of responsibility for the safety breaches.
"Mattel takes full responsibility for these recalls and apologises personally to you, the Chinese people and all of our customers who received the toys," he told Li Changjiang, head of China's product quality watchdog.
"It is important for everyone to understand that the vast majority of these products that we recalled were the result of a flaw in Mattel's design, not through a manufacturing flaw in Chinese manufacturers."
He added that Mattel now believed it had recalled more products than was justified and that items which may have met US safety standards had been taken off the shelves.
Mr Li said this admission was "unacceptable", adding that "you cannot recall 10,000 products just because one is sub-standard".
Co-operation
However, he pledged to work with Mattel, which generates much of its profit in China, to ensure similar problems did not happen again.
"This shows that our co-operation is in the interests of Mattel," he said. "I really hope that Mattel can learn lessons and gain experience from these incidents."
Mattel has apologised to its customers on several occasions for the lapses, but also denied that it was slow to reveal safety concerns.
US legislators criticised Mattel earlier this month for the safety scares, with one Senator saying the problem "should not be happening in the US".
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/business/7006599.stm
Published: 2007/09/21 15:47:25 GMT
© BBC MMVII -
I don't understand... how is designing flaw related to the safety scares? Especially when it contains dangerous ingredients?
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"design flaws"..? u mean mattel had actually designed toys that needed excessive lead on them then permitted?
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The same news is hidden inside CNN website under the Asian segment. Unlike its previous front page handling only days ago.
Mattel takes blame for toy recall
BEIJING, China (AP) -- U.S.-based toy giant Mattel issued an extraordinary apology to China on Friday over the recall of Chinese-made toys, taking the blame for design flaws and saying it had recalled more lead-tainted toys than justified.
The gesture by Thomas A. Debrowski, Mattel's executive vice president for worldwide operations, came in a meeting with Chinese product safety chief Li Changjiang, at which Li upbraided the company for maintaining weak safety controls.
"Our reputation has been damaged lately by these recalls," Debrowski told Li in a meeting at Li's office at which reporters were allowed to be present.
"And Mattel takes full responsibility for these recalls and apologizes personally to you, the Chinese people, and all of our customers who received the toys," Debrowski said.
The carefully worded apology, delivered with company lawyers present, underscores China's central role in Mattel's business. The world's largest toy maker has been in China for 25 years and about 65 percent of its products are made in China.
The fence-mending call came ahead of an expected visit to China by Mattel's chairman and chief executive, Robert A. Eckert. Following the massive recall, Eckert told U.S. lawmakers he wanted to see Mattel's mainland inspections first hand.
Mattel ordered three high-profile recalls this summer involving more than 21 million Chinese-made toys, including Barbie doll accessories and toy cars because of concerns about lead paint or tiny magnets that could be swallowed.
The recalls have prompted complaints from China that manufacturers were being blamed for design faults introduced by Mattel.
On Friday, Debrowski acknowledged that "vast majority of those products that were recalled were the result of a design flaw in Mattel's design, not through a manufacturing flaw in China's manufacturers."
Lead-tainted toys accounted for only a small percentage of all toys recalled, he said, adding that: "We understand and appreciate deeply the issues that this has caused for the reputation of Chinese manufacturers."
The slew of Chinese-made toys since June by Mattel and other smaller toy makers has resulted in many parents scouring for U.S.-made label stamped on playthings at toy stores. That is no easy feat when more than 80 percent of toys sold in the U.S. are made in China.
Mattel's mea culpa could help reshape the debate surrounding Chinese-made toys.
In fact, new research from two business professors shows that recalls due to problems with the U.S. maker's design accounted for the vast majority -- about 76 percent -- of the 550 U.S.toy recalls since 1988.
The report, released earlier this month from Paul R. Beamish, an international business professor at Canada's University of Western Ontario, and Hari Bapuji, business professor at University of Manitoba's I.H. Asper School of Business in Winnipeg, Canada, found that recalls blamed on design problems and manufacturing defects, such as lead paint or poor craftmanship, both rose in the past two years as U.S. makers have shifted more of their production to China.
But they noted that, "if shifting manufacturing to China resulted in poorer quality goods, then the number of toys recalled due to manufacturing should be greater than the number recalled due to design," the report said. But that is not the case.
"Nobody gets a free ride on this," said Beamish, arguing that toy makers' obsession to quickly get new products to market before they are widely copied has resulted in a lot of cost-cutting and inadequate testing.
In a statement issued by the company Friday, Mattel said its lead-related recalls were "overly inclusive, including toys that may not have had lead in paint in excess of the U.S. standards.
"The follow-up inspections also confirmed that part of the recalled toys complied with the U.S. standards," the statement said, without giving specific figures.
The co-owner of the company that supplied the lead-tainted toys to Mattel, Lee Der Industrial Co. Ltd., committed suicide in August shortly after the recall was announced.
Li reminded Debrowski that "a large part of your annual profit ... comes from your factories in China.
"This shows that our cooperation is in the interests of Mattel, and both parties should value our cooperation. I really hope that Mattel can learn lessons and gain experience from these incidents," Li said, adding that Mattel should "improve their control measures."
Li, the head of China's General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, also expressed his appreciation for Debrowski's "objective and responsible attitude toward the recent toy recall."
Chinese food, drugs and other products ranging from toothpaste to seafood are under intense scrutiny because they have been found to contain potentially deadly substances.
But China has bristled at what it claims is a campaign to discredit its reputation as an exporter. It accuses foreign media and others of playing up its product safety issues as a form of protectionism.
Beijing insists that the vast majority of its exports are safe but has stepped up inspections of food, drugs and other products in response to the concerns.
Li told reporters after meeting with Debrowski that the government had taken swift action against Lee Der, shutting down its operations and revoking its business license. Four people from the company also face criminal charges, he said, without giving details.
Since this summer's recalls Mattel has announced plans to upgrade its safety system by certifying suppliers and increasing the frequency of random, unannounced inspections. It has fired several manufacturers.
Tests had found that lead levels in paint in recalled toys were as high as 110,000 parts per million, or nearly 200 times higher than the accepted safety ceiling of 600 parts per million.
Mattel's shares fell from the mid-$23 level following the first recall in early August, reaching as low as $20.97 on Sept. 10. They have since rebounded, and rose 55 cents, or 2.33 percent to $24.11 in morning trading Friday..
China has become a center for the world's toy-making industry, exporting $7.5 billion worth of toys last year.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/09/21/mattel.apology.ap/index.html -
now got cribs also...
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Originally posted by ndmmxiaomayi:I don't understand... how is designing flaw related to the safety scares? Especially when it contains dangerous ingredients?
Quote from Mattel's executive vice president for worldwide operations, Thomas A. Debrowski said on Fri (21 Sep):
"vast majority of those products that were recalled were the result of a design flaw in Mattel's design, not through a manufacturing flaw in China's manufacturers.""
I must add Chinese contractors aren't free from blame.
However, the proportion of the recalls lays mainly with the design of Mattel's toys. not solely on paint itself. The 3 high-profile recalls of last few weeks involving >21 million Chinese-made toys made news highlighting lead-issue as the primary concern
This is not the case now.
See Debrowski official apology made on Fri
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20903731
[/url][/i] -
Oh.. understand now.Originally posted by Gun:
Quote from Mattel's executive vice president for worldwide operations, Thomas A. Debrowski said on Fri (21 Sep):
"vast majority of those products that were recalled were the result of a design flaw in Mattel's design, not through a manufacturing flaw in China's manufacturers.""
I must add Chinese contractors aren't free from blame.
However, the proportion of the recalls lays mainly with the design of Mattel's toys. not solely on paint itself. The 3 high-profile recalls of last few weeks involving >21 million Chinese-made toys made news highlighting lead-issue as the primary concern
This is not the case now.
See Debrowski official apology made on Fri
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20903731
[/url][/i] -
One million Chinese cribs recalled in US
Simplicity Inc, a supplier of baby furniture to Wal-Mart Stores and other big retailers, is recalling about 1 million Chinese-made baby cribs which have been linked to at least two infant deaths, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission says.
The drop-side can detach from the crib, which can create a dangerous gap that leads to an infant being trapped and suffocated, the safety agency said in a statement. It urged parents to check all Simplicity-made cribs to ensure the drop-side is installed correctly.
The cribs, priced between $US100 and $US300 ($A116 and $A350), were sold by US retailers and chains including Target Corp, Big Lots Inc and family-owned Meijer Inc.
"The drop-side failures result from both the hardware and crib design, which allow consumers to unintentionally install the drop-side upside down," the safety commission said. "This, in turn, can weaken the hardware and cause the drop-side to detach from the crib. When the drop-side detaches, it creates a gap in which infants can become entrapped."
Two separate infant deaths involving a nine-month-old and a six-month-old occurred when cribs with older-style hardware had the drop-side installed upside down, the agency said.
The CPSC said it was also investigating a third death that had newer-style hardware. The agency has received reports of seven infant entrapments involving the recalled products.
"CPSC is also aware of two incidents that occurred when the drop-side was correctly installed with older style hardware, though the upside down installation greatly increases the risk of failure," the agency said.
Although the cribs were made in China, the safety agency downplayed that aspect of the massive recall.
"This recall isn't a China-made problem. It's more about hardware and crib design and less about it being assembled in China," a CPSC spokeswoman said.
China has been in the spotlight for a series of recent recalls involving products ranging from lead-painted toys to tainted toothpaste and pet food.
Simplicity, a family-owned company in Reading, Pennsylvania, said it would provide a free repair kit to consumers with the recalled cribs.
The company said two infant deaths were due to a drop-side failure in the cribs. "We believe the other reported incidents were the result of either improper assembly or other external factors," Simplicity president Ken Waldman said in a statement. http://au.news.yahoo.com/070921/2/14hns.html -
oh dear, what's next? flammable shoes? -
now in my mind = made in china , cheap + dangerous. it'll never change until china becomes england. maybe 50 yrs later.
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Yeo's r made in china instead of malaysia.. the taste sux..
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wats next....
Actually most of the things are now made in China
even for major electronic products
Next time Robotic China girl also
with Skin like feature
Can be use as a maid or as a ..........
Up to your own imagination
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better check if your hairs are falling out more than usual..Originally posted by mr_sotong:Yeo's r made in china instead of malaysia.. the taste sux.. 
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Originally posted by mhcampboy:
One million Chinese cribs recalled in US
Simplicity Inc, a supplier of baby furniture to Wal-Mart Stores and other big retailers, is recalling about 1 million Chinese-made baby cribs which have been linked to at least two infant deaths, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission says.
It never cease to amaze me how pple can easily be mislead by simply reading just by the heading of the report.
Another paragraph in the same report says this in clarity:
"Although the cribs were made in China, the safety agency downplayed that aspect of the massive recall.
This recall isn't a China-made problem. It's more about hardware and crib design and less about it being assembled in China," a CPSC spokeswoman said.