Safety fears stall toy shipment

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/business/7039137.stm

Version 0 of 1.

US firm Marvel has stopped shipping its Chinese-made Curious George doll, after a group said it had found illegal levels of lead in one of the toys.

The Center for Environmental Health (CEH) said the doll contained 10 times more lead than is permitted.

If independent testing of various toys shows excessive lead, it could prompt a product recall, Marvel said.

The CEH also informed 10 firms such as Toys R Us and Wal-Mart that toys they sold contained illegal levels of lead.

The other firms that the non-profit organisation wrote to about the same issue were Kmart, Sears, KB Toys, Target, RC2, Michael Stores, Costco Wholesale and Kids II.

Michael Green, executive director of CEH said informing firms about lead levels was a precursor to potential legal cases.

CEH also said it filed a legal notice to private toy firm Sassafras, after discovering high amounts of lead in lunch boxes made by the firm.

Legislation

The latest news comes after a wave of product recalls of Chinese-made goods that started over the summer.

More than 21 million Chinese goods have been recalled in recent months, with groups such as the CEH urging for more stringent examination of Chinese imports.

Democrats in the US Senate and House of Representatives have proposed laws that would make it illegal to have lead in toys and other goods used by children under the age of six.

The Curious George dolls, which have been developed based on a TV series and film, represent a "very small" part of yearly sales, Marvel said.