Major Toy Recall: This Time Mattel Toys
By pyewacket
@pyewacket (43903)
United States
August 15, 2007 2:11am CST
Only a little while ago, we heard that their was a toy recall mainly dealing with the cheaper toys often found in those dollar stores, due to the lead paint that many contained and all were made in China
Well just tonight I heard of a really major recall, and this recall is connected with probably one of the largest toy manufacturers around...Mattel, and due to the same problem, lead paint used in toy products also made in China. In fact, the news indicated that almost ALL toys are generally manufactured and made in China. It is estimated that at least 9 million toys made under the Mattel label are affected and are being recalled.
Makes you wonder though...just how safe are ANY of the products that are made in China? How about things as simply as porcelain painted figurines? Take a look I just bet they are made in China, how about glassware and chinaware..how safe are they if made in China? Is ANYTHING NOT made in China nowadays?Here's an article about the toy recall:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/08/14/fyi/main3166371.shtml
http://www.cbc.ca/cp/health/070814/x081415A.html
Also recalled are toys under the Fisher Price label, a division of Mattel
http://service.mattel.com/us/recall/39054_IVR.asp
http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/08/03/ap3985793.html
3 people like this
10 responses
@pismeof (855)
• United States
15 Aug 07
Hey Pye,I would just like to let you and others that read this know that the danger with the lead paint is primarily with regard to the fear of children eating it.Since it's a small toy designed for the really young kids who often stick them in their mouth as pacifiers.I don't think you need fear plateware or anything of that nature.
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
15 Aug 07
Yes but can't the chemical properties in the lead paint in plateware seep into our food that we eat off of those plates??
@tigerdragon (4297)
• Philippines
16 Aug 07
pye, i would have to agree with pismeof. and besides the one that you cite are one in a million occurence.just to justify the statistics.let us take per country, how much do you think that adults ,even children get poisoned by lead intake? one or two or maybe non at all. collate them together and you would still get a very minimal percentage or probability stats to rate them as dangerous. Then this also refers to food, choked or poisoned by them. a lot of our food,toys and even things in our household , if we dissect each one of them and dissect their components and materials used, all of them are are bad for our health? We are still alive! functioning well! Living!If we take all of this seriously, like what most do, then we won't be left with anything to enjoy with,just contemplate on it for a while.maybe it is just a matter of what we would like to believe.You have a very legitimate point of view.Ours is the other side of the coin , in a differnet perspective.
@worldwise1 (14885)
• United States
15 Aug 07
I can't believe that I typed out a very long response, pyewacket, and then discovered I wasn't signed in. It makes me so mad when that happens. I will try to remember everything I said. I was just listening to C2CAM on the radio awhile ago, and George(the host) devoted an entire hour to the problem with China's tainted goods-toys especially. This woman was on there who was supposed to have some knowledge, but she knew nothing. Whenever anyone asked a question, her answers were either, "I don't know," or "I'm not a doctor, so I'm not qualified to answer that." I think George became a little put out with her because he got kind of tough near the en. He never does that. He suggested that we should start back making our own toys. They actually make 80% of the toys. I was so steamed because she actually sounded as though she was trying to take their side. "Let's wait 'til all the reports are in," she says. "I'm sure China wouldn't do that on purpose." I really would like to see some entrepreneurs start up some cottage industries and bring business manufacturing back to the USA. It was brought out also that we have no way of telling how long they have been using these rotten materials in the items they are sending us. It's time for a change!
1 person likes this
@tigerdragon (4297)
• Philippines
16 Aug 07
ah, sorry to intrude but let's not get too personal. let us not base our answers on personality and be wise.let us just cite our point of view whether agreeable or not, we might learn something from one another.have a relaxing wonderful day.
1 person likes this
@worldwise1 (14885)
• United States
16 Aug 07
For tigerdragon: Whoever you are there is no way that I could get personal with you. I've never even seen your name on myLot until just now. Step off.
1 person likes this
@GnosticGoddess (5626)
• United States
16 Aug 07
It does seem that everything lately that is being recalled has been made in China.
And that makes me want to know what is going on in China?!
Should we stop trade from China because of all this?
1 person likes this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
17 Aug 07
I certainly think we should stop trade with China...In fact I wrote an article about boycotting goods from China over at AC--waiting to see if its accepted :)
1 person likes this
@tigerdragon (4297)
• Philippines
16 Aug 07
when i heard this over the news , the first thing that popped on mind is that mattel's service is deteriorating,that they have made a major blunder in their quality control.isn't it that everything that comes out of any factory should pass their quality control and besides, even before this toys were made , everything should be approved by their big boys for safety, which i assume is their prime concern since the children are the one playing with it. Personally, i was wondering , with all these so-called safety precautions that lead intoxication would be dangerous to everyone, the question is "how dangerous", how much lead do we need to intake for it's effects to occur. I would assume that it depends on the individuals tolerable level to certain things.Yes, i agree that lead is not got for us , if taken in with more than the amount requred by the body. when i was growing up there were a lot of cheap toys in the market with such products and even more lethal ,i assume, but most us are still alive and well. aren't we stretching too far to the point that it's more of paranoaia?
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
17 Aug 07
No it's not paranoia here--and first of all don't forget a child is much smaller than an adult so the lead amount in such items might not bother an adult much, but sure as heck could create severe problems for children
@gmakesmoney (2923)
• United States
16 Aug 07
I read about that and saw the news. Did you know that the CEO of the company that produced the toys for Mattel, hung himself in his warehouse after loosing that 30 million dollar account? Sad but it makes you wonder if it was out of guilt or shame?
One other major thing to look out for, for anyone with kids or if you know someone with kids... these toys are in daycares all over the place. If the daycare doesn't remove them, you children are still playing with them. My friend's mom works at a daycare that her best friend owns and has these toys and aren't removing them. The owner said she didn't care and wasn't about to replace all that "sh*t" (I bet that attitude is why her husband's cheating... ohhhh but that's a totally different topic). My friend's aunt also owns a private daycare, where my friends son goes by the way, and she is not removing the toys either. So I would be really carefull to check out anyplace where a child is taken and ask questions, look around.
1 person likes this
@kgwat70 (13388)
• United States
15 Aug 07
It does seem that everything coming from China is not safe for our children. Something is going on in China as there was never this problem before. Something is happening over there or someone there could be deliberately doing this. It makes me wonder if there is a terrorist or something trying to cause harm to our kids. It is surprising that this is happening but am glad that they caught on to this before any children die.
@venshida (4836)
• United States
15 Aug 07
It seems China is not following the safety standards in place. I think they should stop importing these toys and everything else from China until they can show that they have made the necessary adjustment needed. There are just too many faulty products from China.
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
17 Aug 07
Yes, much stricter standards and inspections should be made to check out the safety of everything
@jeweledbluerose (3061)
• United States
15 Aug 07
I don't understand why they are starting to realize this. Kids have been playing with those sort of toys for generations now. Either we are just starting to give a hoot or something is going on that is trying to force us to buy only American made products. I'm not one to cry conspiracy, but it just seems a bit fishy to me, that since the pet food deal, a lot of things are now under intense scrutiny and most of it has to deal with products that are made in China.
With all this recalling, it's a wonder people are still going out and buying things. Kinda scary, but it's becoming more maddening with each recall. This is stuff that should have been checked ages ago, before being put on store shelves.
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
17 Aug 07
Yes, God only knows how long any of this has actually been going on since we've been getting imported items from China for many years
@1parvez1 (31)
•
15 Aug 07
sounds scary.... Not good for the rep of toy manufacturers. When will people start realising that cheap is not the way forward especially when safety is compromised
Like they say; "They don't build em like they used to"
Reply to my comment welcome
Thanks
1 person likes this
