Toxic Toys, Possibly of Chinese Origin, Seized in Australian State

Thousands of toxic toys have been seized from a Melbourne warehouse by the Victorian government in Australia. They could be of Chinese origin, it is suspected.

More than 2,100 plastic toys, some filled with lead, were found by Consumer Affairs Victoria (CAV) officials at a Moorabbin warehouse last Thursday.

Toxic Toys For Toddlers
Toys in Indian stores were found to contain an alarmingly high ratio of lead, which made them unsafe for children

Products with more than 90mg/kg of lead are banned in Victoria.

Consumer Affairs Minister Tony Robinson said many were filled with lead and were plastic army action figures.

Yet others were brightly coloured plastic pool motion toys, believed to be dangerous because they posed a serious choking hazard to children.

The minister warned manufacturers, importers and retailers to comply with product safety standards.

"Lead in toys can be ingested by children sucking on them and lead has for many years been a severe inhibitor of children's development.

Poisoning Chances Slight for Children Who Play With Lead-tainted Toys
Seeking to reassure parents jittery over massive recall of toys with high levels of lead, US toxicologists say risks of poisoning for children are relatively low. Still vigilance is called for.

"Inspectors are regularly seizing goods that do not comply with our standards," he said.

"In the past four months we've had over 12,000 goods seized."

In the financial year to date, around 20,000 goods have been destroyed, including prams, toys and babies' dummies.

Mr.Robinson says at any one time, the Consumer Affairs Victoria department has a number of inspectors patrolling warehouses.

"When problems are detected, overwhelmingly retailers and importers do the right thing. Sometimes they are as shocked as anyone else to realise their products aren't up to scratch."

The warehouse being investigated could face fines of up to $68,000.

Once found and tested, all products are crushed and destroyed.

"Traders need to know that if they supply banned products in Victoria, they will be caught and prosecuted," Mr Robinson added.

Source-Medindia
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