On Monday, July 9, U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar heard testimony about recent toy recalls at the Ridgedale Library in a forum.
In June, 1.5 million Thomas & Friends wooden trains sets were recalled after it was discovered they were covered with lead-based paint. The train sets were produced in China.
It has been illegal to sell lead-based paint in the United States since 1978.
Ingested lead is particularly dangerous for children.
It can lead to a loss of IQ points, plus attention difficulties and aggression, according to Dr. Anne Edwards, president of the Minnesota Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, who presented testimony.
It can even cause abnormal balance and negatively affect both eye-hand coordination and nervous system response times, according to Edwards.
"I caution that there are no safe levels of lead," said Edwards.
Klobuchar first learned of the recall from one of her staffers.
The staff member had learned from a friend that toy train pieces she had in her home had been recalled.
The toy train recall caught Klobuchar's attention for two reasons.
First, this particular recall followed on the heels of several other recalls of Chinese goods that have already taken place this year. Chinese-produced pet food, fish and toothpaste have all been recalled since January.
Secondly, the toy train recall hit Klobuchar in the gut.
A parent herself, she said, she could imagine few things worse than learning a product she had purchased, brought into her home and given to her child had caused irreparable brain damage.
Parents, she said, understand the correlation between price and quality.
Yet, Klobuchar stressed, "We can't expect parents or kids to tell if a toy train is coated with lead paint or a toy has been so poorly made that it will come apart in a toddler's mouth."
Klobuchar's concern is warranted as a whopping 80 percent of the toys currently sold in the United States are now made in China.
In 2007 alone, 24 toys have been recalled. All 24 of those recalled toys were produced in China.
Overall, 60 percent of all recalls this year have been for goods made in China. This is up from 2000 when 36 percent of all recalls were Chinese produced.
The United States, Klobuchar said, is importing more and more goods.
Only recently, however, the country has begun to discover that it is unable to regulate all of the items crossing its borders, getting stocked on store shelves and ultimately ending up in the hands of consumers.
Besides the recently recalled train sets, other toys were mentioned at the forum as well.
Plastic sunglasses can break apart, revealing tiny screws, springs and fasteners made from lead or magnets, either which cause health problems if swallowed.
Charms and trinkets given away as freebees with purchase or sold for a quarter from a vending machine have been found to be made of lead as well.
Part of the problem, Klobuchar said, is that the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is stretched too thin.
The commission employed 978 people in 1980. Today, despite the explosion of products domestic and imported alike, the commission counts just 400 among its ranks.
To this end, Klobuchar announced she will be working with U.S. Sen. Richard Durbin of Illinois to develop legislation that will safeguard U. S. consumers when it comes to imported goods.
"We need to keep toxic toys out of the hands of our children," Klobuchar said. "We need to help parents keep their children away from hazards."
Klobuchar said she would like to see stricter enforcement of the consumer regulations already in place. To do so, she said, she wants to push the administration to put more money into the CPSC.
On Wednesday July 18, the Senate Commerce Committee, as a result of Klobuchar's prompting, will hold an investigative hearing on the safety of consumer products and food imported from China.
Klobuchar was joined at the Minnetonka forum by a group of state legislators, including Sen. Terri Bonoff, Rep. John Benson, Rep. Maria Ruud and Rep. Steve Simon.
This spring, explained Benson, a bill was authored by Rep. Karen Clark that prohibited the sale of children's items in the state that contain lead.
The bill passed and was signed into law by Gov. Pawlenty.
Yet, Benson admitted, the bill is not far-reaching enough.
He said he would like to see the idea return when the session resumes. The other attending state representatives concurred.
In addition, Nancy Cowles, director of Kids in Danger, a national child safety group, and Prentiss Cox, a University of Minnesota law professor and consumer protection expert were present.
