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Hamleys pulls toys over lead fear | Hamleys pulls toys over lead fear |
(about 7 hours later) | |
Hamleys has removed from its shelves two child jewellery products found to contain dangerous levels of lead. | |
It said it had launched an inquiry into why the pendant and bracelet, imported from China, had not been detected in its quality assurance process. | |
The London toy store said it took safety "extremely seriously", after the Sunday Times exposed the fault. | |
It comes days after US toy giant Mattel recalled 18m China-made products, some of them amid fears over lead levels. | |
'Reviewing processes' | 'Reviewing processes' |
A Hamleys spokeswoman said: "Immediate action was obviously taken to remove these dangerous products from our shops as soon as we became aware of the problem. | A Hamleys spokeswoman said: "Immediate action was obviously taken to remove these dangerous products from our shops as soon as we became aware of the problem. |
"We would never ever knowingly sell toxic jewellery to customers and take the health and safety of our customers extremely seriously. | "We would never ever knowingly sell toxic jewellery to customers and take the health and safety of our customers extremely seriously. |
"We are urgently reviewing our quality assurance process." | "We are urgently reviewing our quality assurance process." |
The Sunday Times found a £4.99 bracelet with heart shapes sold in Hamleys' Regent Street shop contained more than 93% lead. | |
A P-shaped pendant, priced £7.99, was found to have 27% lead. | A P-shaped pendant, priced £7.99, was found to have 27% lead. |
International recall | International recall |
The recommended international safety limit is 0.06%, while the UK limit is 0.1%. | The recommended international safety limit is 0.06%, while the UK limit is 0.1%. |
High levels of lead can cause brain damage and even kill. | High levels of lead can cause brain damage and even kill. |
Concerns over the safety of Chinese-made children's toys were raised last week after Mattel recalled more than 18 million products worldwide. | |
Among them were Sarge die-cast toys, from the Pixar film Cars, which were recalled because their paint contains lead. | |
Mattel also recalled toys containing small magnets that can come loose, including Polly Pocket, Batman Magna, Doggie Daycare and One Piece playsets. | |
It was the second such recall in two weeks. | It was the second such recall in two weeks. |
Although lead content of toys is strictly controlled in the UK, there are no regulations stipulating levels in children's jewellery. | Although lead content of toys is strictly controlled in the UK, there are no regulations stipulating levels in children's jewellery. |
Tests by the newspaper also found high levels of lead in other children's products sold at a number of other outlets. | Tests by the newspaper also found high levels of lead in other children's products sold at a number of other outlets. |