A worker putting the finishing touches to a toy car at a toy factory in Shantou, China. The United States Monday praised Beijing for "taking toy safety seriously" two years after millions of made-in-China toys had to be recalled amid fears they were dangerous. AFP file
WASHINGTON – The United States Monday praised Beijing for "taking toy safety seriously" two years after millions of made-in-China toys had to be recalled amid fears they were dangerous. 考试大论坛
"The Chinese government closed down numerous toy factories after the wave of US recalls and they are educating toy makers about our new rules," Inez Tanenbaum, head of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), told reporters.
Americans will be able to "shop for children this holiday season with a little more confidence than ever before," she said, just days before the US Christmas holiday shopping season officially begins.
More than 21 million toys and kids’ products made in China were recalled in three months in 2007 because they contained dangerous levels of lead, according to US officials.
Tough US laws on toy safety were phased in last year and toy makers are now required to have certain products tested and certified in independent, accredited laboratories.
The new rules imposed by the Consumer Products Safety Improvement Act allow only 90 parts per million (ppm) of lead paint in toys and an overall lead content of 300 ppm, Tenenbaum said.
"Before this, there has never been a total lead limit in toys," she said.
Certain phthalates -- chemicals that make plastic malleable -- have been banned from toys and accessories that children are likely to put in their mouths.
"The rules that parents were calling for in 2007 when all the recalls were happening are now in place," said Tenenbaum, adding China has been "responsive" to US requests to improve toy safety.
Recalls for lead violations have become more infrequent and smaller in size than in 2007 and 2008, she said.
There were around 150 toy recalls in both 2007 and 2008, and only 38 so far this year, Tenenbaum said.
Of this year’s toy recalls, 15 involved violations of lead levels. Last year, 85 toy recalls involved lead, while in 2007 the number was 63.
China is the world’s top toy exporter. In 2006, the country sold 22 billion toys overseas, or 60 percent of the globe’s total.
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