Smith should not get a pass on this issue. He is on the Senate Commerce Committee, which I believe has jurisdiction over the CPSC. Also, it is probably worth looking at state level policies that can help fill the void left by the federal government.

Kari, thanks for bringing up a very relevant issue, and one that really hits home when you realize that the majority of toys your child has--the ones he repeatedly puts in his mouth when a baby--are made of plastic that has been linked to cancer and birth defects.

I think lead and the Aqua Dot fiascos are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to scandals about product safety, particularly for kids.

Personally I think a lot of these "unsafe" toys, etc. are a bunch of overblown scare tactics. And if I was a conspiracy nut, based on the comments here I could probably say it was to try and scare people into 'Buy Amer'can!'

Most parents that I know didn't worry two-bits about the tainted items. These recalls are quite different than the food recalls where you're actually SUPPOSED to put the item in your mouth and digest it.

Polly Pocket sets for example - as Jenni Simonis pointed out - are full of tiny pieces and in the hands of 5-year-olds who know better than to put them in their mouths. And if they would by chance stick a piece in their mouth to hold it while doing something else - they're not going to suck off enough paint or chemicals to do them any more harm than eating fluorescent orange Mac-N-Cheese.

I'm not saying safety isn't important - but there are way more important issues to deal with. Parents - just watch your kids.

This is such an important issue and a great post. It really spills over in to every aspect of our lives as consumers. As a step-grandmother I was surprised to find out that our "kids" are so busy working and child-rearing they had somehow not been aware of how widespread are the recalls of some of their childrens' toys. I can only encourage them to go through their kids' toy boxes, but it really is a confusing issue....matching up the unpackaged (and too many) toys, with incomplete lists of recalled poisonous products. How can they remember what the dang thing was called before the child yanked it out of the package? I also wonder about some of the clothing items and art supplies that are imported for kids. And the inks on childrens' books? Are they being tested? And we wonder about the upswing in ADD and learning problems with kids?

Not long ago I heard the term China-free and googled it, and was surprised to find plenty of articles about "freeing China"...but none that meant what you'd think it might mean, considering the immensity of the problem with poisonous consumer goods. China is not the only deadly offender.

American entrepreneurs will be missing the boat if they don't take advantage of the opportunity to manufacture safe toys & products for our kids. Think of the jobs that would create. We've let our manufacturing jobs be hijacked overseas, and now we're buying their poisoned products? The market for all things kids is massive.

Public corruption indeed. I have no faith in the government ever doing the job it would need to do to protect us and our kids. But they could create a certification process for American toy-makers (et al)that that would be required on all products....tested at the manufacturer's expense, a mandatory addition to the process, to be posted on the product as free of contaminants. I don't think that is too much to ask. I think parents would pay a premium for that kind of assurance, as unfair and ridiculous as that seems. Maybe kids would end up with fewer toys....but safe toys, which could be all the better for kids.

Congratulations, Kari! My wife and I are actually expecting a baby boy any day now.

I guess the answer to the safety question is to simply not buy crap made in China....assuming that there is something out there that isn't made in China... Isn't it strange how having a kid totally changes your priorities and perspectives? I guess I'll know in a few days. Once again, congratulations. I wish you and your wife the very best in raising your child.

The problem is companies and the US government failing in their reasonability to consumers, not China per say. Protectionism is almost never a good idea, and it is particularly ineffective in this case. The CPSC can fail to protect us from things made in America. Protectionist measures will simply mean that we will have to pay more for the poorly made things that are killing us.

Of course, I mean responsibility to consumers.

"Oh, and full disclosure: In 1996, I worked on Hooley's first congressional campaign. I speak only for myself."

ahahahahahaha!

Congrats, Kari! Your concern is certainly valid. A recent conversation with a friend along similar lines has brought me to the conclusion that the ineptitude of the CPSC is simply another example of how disfunctional our government has become. Others include the USDA/EPA disconnection regarding food safety. Agency after agency either works at cross purposes to the other or in isolation and ignorance of the importance of their common responsibilities. If I were a conspiracy nut, I'd suspect that Grover Norquist and his crowd have already won. The government is drowning ...

Since the CPSC staff is now largely gutted, we have to, in many respects be our own advocates. Visit Toys Not Made In China for an online store that carries ONLY toys that are NOT made in China. As we grow in size, we will be in a position to do actual shop visits to the locations and provide video back to our shoppers. Stay tuned.

I don't know what anyone else would expect based on the prevailing republican/libertarian philosophy that markets can fix all things and will self regulate based on consumer choice with the stick of tort liability for the egregious market abuses.

But it gets you to thinking, what exactly is the proper balance between the number of kids with lead poisoning and the tolerable level of government regulation?

hmmmmm...I wonder what level of contamination the free marketers would tolerate in their children to ensure a thriving, dynamic and innovative global economy. After all, if you are the unlucky parent who finds out his child has learning disabilities because someone in China wanted to make a little more money, you can still sleep well knowing that your child's sacrifice was ideologically correct, and you can recoup your loss by suing the store you bought the toy from. (good luck suing the overseas manufacturer)That is, unless these same free marketers get their way with "tort reform", or you're one of those parents who wouldn't trade the health of your child for any amount of money.

Good post. A few observations:

1. One solution is to buy our kids fewer toys, especially the cheap plastic variety. I'm no scrooge -- my kids have lots of toys (yes, many of the cheap plastic variety). But in the same way that we try to buy things without a lot of packaging, compost our food waste, recycle, etc., we try not to go overboard on toys. Simple things -- like measuring cups and spoons, empty boxes -- keep young kids occupied for days.

2. Not everything is China's fault. For instance, Mattel apologized to Chinese manufacturers for blaming them early on. Turns out that many of the recalls (especially the magnets) were due to design flaws at Mattel, and other toys were recalled even though the lead levels were below U.S. standards. In other words, toys made in the USA could have the same amount of lead and not be in violation.

3. It's worth pointing out that the lead exposure from these toys is very low. That's not to excuse the problem or absolve anyone of blame, but there is tragic irony in the parent who immediately throws away all the Chinese-made toys while little junior is chewing on the windowsill ledge. If you own a pre-1970 house, EVERY painted surface is coated with lead paint. As owners of a 1920s Portland bungalow we've tested our own place and once you get below the top few layers it's all lead-based, at much higher concentration than what's in those toys.

4. This is a great opportunity for progressives to make a much larger point about good government. The conservative critique is that government is bad, free markets are good. With the neutered CPSC, we've essentially had a free market in toy quality, and this is what we ended up with. Now, even Republicans will decry this situation and call for better government oversight and regulation because doing otherwise would be political suicide. But we can't let them get away with that. We need to expand the discussion: Why is government regulation necessary here, but not in, say, food quality, or automotive safety, or pollution control/clean-up? How does this situation expose the flaws in the conservative mantra? How can we use this to illustrate the need for good, responsible government that will protect people from the dangers of an unregulated free market?

Thought you'd be interested in the latest tool in selecting safer (non-toxic) toys: www.healthytoys.org.

A friend past this on to me, it is a MUST SEE VIDEO. Pass it on to everyone in your address book.

http://www.storyofstuff.com/

What is the Story of Stuff? From its extraction through sale, use and disposal, all the stuff in our lives affects communities at home and abroad, yet most of this is hidden from view. The Story of Stuff is a 20-minute, fast-paced, fact-filled look at the underside of our production and consumption patterns. The Story of Stuff exposes the connections between a huge number of environmental and social issues, and calls us together to create a more sustainable and just world. It'll teach you something, it'll make you laugh, and it just may change the way you look at all the stuff in your life forever.