Government Refuses To Spot Check Toys For Lead

In one month, 19 toy makers have recalled some 19 million Chinese-made toys, most because they contain toxic lead that can lead to permanent brain damage if children are exposed to high levels. But the Consumer Product Safety Commission can't or won't start spot testing toys for lead, despite the repeated requests of several prominent senators, according to a Chicago Sun Times report today. The Consumer Product Safety Commission works with companies on voluntary recalls, and in one letter to the senators indicated it just doesn't have the resources to undertake that kind of inspection program.

Sounds familiar. Some of the same senators have heard similar reports from the Food and Drug Administration, which is responsible for ensuring the safety of 80% of the U.S. food supply, but which has to do its job with a fraction of the budget of its sister agency, the Department of Agriculture, which is responsible for the other 20%. With China and other nations supplying an ever increasing percentage of the nation's food and consumer goods, adequate monitoring and inspections are essential. These senators should continue making requests, continue studying solutions -- and not let up until the stream of imports entering the U.S. market meets the same standards we'd expect from products made domestically.

Ensuring that kids' toys aren't laced with toxic substances should be the very lowest bar to jump.

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