Most of recalled products made in China
By Jen Haberkorn and Kara Rowland
August 16, 2007

Two-thirds of the products recalled in the United States so far this year were manufactured in China, according to analysis by The Washington Times.

Of the 234 items recalled by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) this year, 154 were manufactured in China, 43 were manufactured in the United States and 37 were manufactured elsewhere in the world.

Recalled products run the gamut from children’s jewelry, car seats and toys to gas grills, furniture and all-terrain vehicles. Many products were recalled without injuries. But some did cause injuries, including a remote-controlled airplane that exploded as it left the user’s hand on numerous occasions and injured 33 persons.

The number of Chinese-made product recalls in the United States has doubled in the past five years, according to the nonprofit Consumers Union, which publishes Consumer Reports magazine. Chinese products accounted for 60 percent of the total recalls in the U.S. last year, which numbered 467 — a record.

Earlier this week, U.S. toy manufacturer Mattel Inc. announced a massive recall of 19 million toys worldwide — 9.5 million in the U.S. — that have been found to be potentially dangerous to children because of defects such as lead paint or loose magnets. It was Mattel’s second toy recall this month.

Safety fears likely extend beyond toy companies such as Mattel that have voluntarily recalled their products, said Stephanie Oppenheim, who publishes the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio, a consumer guide to toy safety.

“I don’t think it’s realistic to assume lead paint is only an issue for Mattel or RC2,” Ms. Oppenheim said, referring to the makers of Barbie dolls and Thomas and Friends toys, respectively. “Both of them are leading companies on the issue. I think this is really the tip of the iceberg.”

Voluntary recalls are not adequate, Ms. Oppenheim said, arguing that the CPSC needs to require independent testing.

“All companies, large and small, should be required to do what Mattel says it’s doing going forward, and that’s batch testing,” she said, referring to the practice of stopping in the middle of each production unit and checking for quality among units.

But, while large toy makers or retailers can afford expensive testing, “the real issue that no one’s been talking about is what happens to the smaller and mid-sized toy companies,” Ms. Oppenheim added.

Furthermore, food and drugs are the only imported goods that the government inspects for safety when they enter the United States. Other products, whether clothing, toys, paper products or electronics, are inspected only by the private companies that manufacture them.

“Most products that are traded are not inspected, at least not for [consumer] safety reasons,” said Bill Primosch, senior director of international business policy for the National Association of Manufacturers, a Washington trade group. “We expect that manufacturers and importers will adhere to the appropriate health safety and environmental standards — and most do.”

But the manufacturing industry cautions that the recalls represent a small portion of the goods coming into the United States from China.

“Most of the products that come from China appear to be safe,” he said. “Many of the products imported are made in U.S.-operated plants in China that meet the high quality standards that they insist on their production in the U.S.”

Ed Mierzwinski, consumer program director for U.S. PIRG, the federation of state Public Interest Research Groups, said the Mattel recalls this week should serve as a wake-up call to Congress to allocate more money to U.S. regulators.

“The CPSC lacks the leadership, the money, the staff and the legal authority it needs to protect us from dangerous imported or domestically produced products,” he said.

• Bryce Baschuk contributed to this report.

By Tom Spalding and John Russell
John.Russell@indystar.com
           
Gilchrist & Soames, which supplies high-end toiletry products for hotels in over a dozen countries, said today it is initiating a worldwide recall of a toothpaste manufactured in China.

The product is Gilchrist & Soames, 0.65-ounce tube made by Ming Fai Enterprises International Co., LTD.

Independent tests showed some samples of the toothpaste contained diethylene glycol, or DEG. Among DEG’s uses is as a coolant in automobiles.

Kathie De Voe, president of Indianapolis-based Gilchrist & Soames, said in an interview today that the company contacted its two Chinese toothpaste suppliers and initiated a series of independent lab tests in both Hong Kong and the United States after receiving an FDA alert June 1 about tainted toothpaste manufactured in China.

“We’re just concerned about getting this problem cleaned up and we’ll deal with the financial impact later, De Voe said. “But we’re a global company, and financially very stable, and this isn’t anything that will change any of our business strategies. We’re more concerned right now with the safety of our hotel guests.”
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is not aware of any U.S. reports of poisonings from toothpaste containing DEG, but is concerned because of a “low but meaningful” risk of toxicity and injury to children or individuals with kidney or liver disease.

Hotels in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Bermuda, Barbados, Dominican Republic or Turks & Caicos as well as the United Kingdom, Ireland, Spain, Belgium, France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland and the United Arab Emirates are being asked to destroy any remaining inventory.

American consumers have good reason to be cautious as product after product — all originating in China — have been yanked off U.S. shelves. Here is a list, based on alerts from the responsible U.S. agencies, of some of the is year’s problem products:
Research by Kristin Deasy

Easy-Bake Oven: 249 reports of children getting their hands or fingers caught in a small opening in the oven, including 77 burns (16 of which were second- and third-degree). Manufactured by Hasbro and distributed by Toys R Us, Wal-Mart, Target and KB Toys through July. Oversight agency: Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).

Seafood: The Food and Drug Administration has asked importers to provide third-party laboratory results for all catfish, basa, shrimp, dace and eel from China. All repeatedly contained drug traces, prompting multiple alerts to retailers, including Wal-Mart, and restaurants, including Red Lobster. China is among the top three seafood exporters to the USA, and the FDA rejects more seafood imports from China than from any other country. Product alert: July. Oversight agency: FDA.

Tires: At least two people died in car accidents linked to faulty tires made in China; 450,000 tires were recalled because they were sold without the “gum strip,” or the piece that keeps the treads from separating and the tire from coming apart. Manufactured by Hangzhou Zhongce Rubber and sold under brand names Compass, Telluride, Westlake and YKS. Product alert: June. Oversight agency: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. 
 

Toothpaste: Four products — Cooldent Fluoride, Cooldent Spearmint, Cooldent ICE and Shir Fresh Mint Fluoride Paste — were found to contain diethylene glycol, which is toxic and potentially fatal. Manufactured by Goldcredit International Trading and Suzhou City Jinmao Daily Chemicals Co. Product alert: June. Oversight agency: FDA.

Pet food: 4,150 U.S. pet deaths have been linked to pet food with wheat protein tainted with toxic chemicals; 5,300 product lines were affected. Product alert: April. Oversight agency: FDA.

Lawn trimmers: Pieces could fly off while in use, becoming dangerous projectiles. Some units also overheated. There were 58 injuries out of 707 incidents reported. The GH1000 Grasshog XP String Trimmer/Edgers are manufactured by Black & Decker and were distributed through January. Oversight agency: CPSC.

Remote-control airplanes: 45 airplanes exploded. Twenty-two consumers reported that their hearing was affected or pained; 10 reports of other injuries. The Model 4116 Sky Rangers Park Flyer planes were distributed through December by Estes-Cox Corp. Oversight agency: CPSC.

China is quickly transforming its reputation as a country known for cheap goods to a country known for dangerous ones?

Made-in-China fears grip US

From yesterday’s Washington Times — High Price of Shoddy Goods

“U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported in 2002 that counterfeit goods brought into this country in one year cost American businesses an estimated $200 billion in revenue and the loss of some 750,000 jobs.”

“Counterfeit products include baby food, toys, automobile and aircraft parts……pacemakers and software, among many others.”

“Automobile brakes made of compressed grass and wood have shown up in American stores, and other counterfeit auto parts look so good that even trained mechanics can’t tell they are fake.”

“According to Loss Prevention Concepts Ltd., a Michigan consulting and intelligence-gathering organization, fraudulent parts have caused deaths from airline and auto accidents.”

Yesterday afternoon, I was interviewed on WVOC Radio the Voice of Columbia — one of the largest talk radio stations in South Carolina. I reminded the host that

South Carolina has lost 91,000 jobs since 2000. I also explained that manufacturing is the largest contributor to the economy and provides good jobs and makes the middle class American dream possible. Afterwards, I urged the candidates to pledge that they would come up with a plan to stop the job losses. Actually I suggested that they pledge to cut the job losses in half nationwide.  

Well it seems that at least one of the candidates was listening. Duncan Hunter not only has read the recently released “Costly Trade with China” report, but he’s making saving manufacturing jobs a major campaign theme. Now if we can get the other 9 on board….

“A significant amount of work remains to knock down trade barriers and ensure that American exporters have new economic opportunities across the globe,” Mrs. Schwab said.

Definitely an understatement. In any event, this week the Administration released a report identifying 63 so called trading partners including China and the European Union who have erecting illegal barriers to American exports.

“In discussing China, the administration said that unless the country does more to crack down on the theft of U.S. copyrighted products such as movies, music and computer software, the administration would consider filing a case against China before the World Trade Organization….. In addition to copyright piracy, the report criticized China for using government subsidies to give its companies unfair advantages over American companies.”

“The 2007 National Trade Estimate report covered 63 major trading partners from Angola to Vietnam. It has been prepared annually for more than two decades under legislation that requires the administration to give an accounting of the trade barriers that are most harmful to American businesses and farmers.”

For years the European Union has subsidized Airbus, the France based aircraft manufacturer. Despite cost overruns, production delays and contract cancellations, EU subsidies to the tune of over $100 billion have kept Airbus viable. Finally the American government is responding to these unlawful subsidies.

This week the Bush Administration initiated filings before the WTO arguing that these subsidies will

“continue to hurt the American plane manufacturer.”

The essence of the most recent claim against the EU is that using a sophisticated financing scheme, Airbus is given loans from EU member governments at below market rates enabling

“Airbus to launch a series of large civil aircraft models at a scale and pace that would have been impossible without subsidies.”

Naturally, the EU says that there no evidence showing that these subsidies have any negative impact on American manufacturers.

“It argues that the money is legal because it is repaid as Airbus sells aircraft. But EU officials acknowledge that if sales of new planes, such as the troubled A380 superjumbo, fail to meet forecasts - as is possible given severe production setbacks - the loan terms could benefit the company.”

A truly competitive aircraft market for American companies and workers means enforcing the rules, even with our friends, and in this case, it looks like we may be willing to do that.

An increasing number of Americans are alarmed at the decline of America’s manufacturing capacity. Particularly troublesome is the growing awareness that arresting this trend will be difficult because the policies that contribute to this problem come in so many shapes and forms. For example, this past weekend, the NY Times highlighted an example in which President Bush’s 2003 tax cut provides a huge advantage to foreign companies doing business in the U.S. over American ones. 
 
As the article reveals:

“The advantage under the 2003 law can be significant. It can cost an American company as much as $540 million more than a foreign company to pay $1 billion to United States investors.” 

Naturally of course now that this provision has been identified, its author is no where to be found.

“…it was still a mystery as to how the provisions got into the 2003 tax cut bill.”