From ABC News:
One day after the Chinese government promised to stop selling lead-painted
toys to the U.S., lawmakers in Washington are looking into the dangers lurking in children's playthings.
Why have there been so many toy recalls, and what can be done to keep toys
safe?
Those are the questions some of the top people in toy business face before
a Senate committee today.
One mom worries, "It's concerning to come to the toy store and be shopping for toys and not
sure what's safe"
The CEO of Toys"R"Us, and the head of Mattel are in the Senate hot-seat.
In the past five weeks, Mattel has recalled millions of toys - everything from Barbie playsets to Thomas the Train toys. Most were removed
from store shelves because of lead paint that could cause brain damage in
children. Most of the toys are made in China.
The Vice-minister of China's General Administration of Quality Supervision says, "Chinese products have great sales around the world and are extensively accepted by international society, which cannot be realized without good
quality."
Yesterday, at a consumer safety summit in Washington, China agreed to
prohibit the use of lead paint in toys exported to the U.S.
It also agreed to increase inspections of consumer products headed to the
U.S., help trace hazardous items back to the factories and exporters and hold
monthly recall talks with U.S. officials.
The question is will all of that be enough to regain the confidence of
parents? And what about toys for Christmas?
China's product safety agency says Chinese-made toys will be safe, and
problems over lead paint will be resolved in time for holiday exports.
Jeremy Hubbard, ABC News.
