Toy Safety Port Seizures Up, Recalls Down Over Last Five Years, Says CPSC
Port seizures of dangerous toys are up over the last five years, while the number of toy recalls has plummeted, said the Consumer Product Safety Commission Nov. 20. In the past five years, CPSC and CBP have stopped more than 9.8 million units of about 3,000 different toys that violated product safety standards, CPSC said. “The violative products never made it onto store shelves and were kept out of consumers’ homes.” The commission’s work at ports is part of a “robust toy safety system” that includes third-party testing, stringent lead and phthalates limits, and strict toy standards, said CPSC.
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At the same time, the number of toy recalls has been falling fast. In fiscal year 2013, CPSC issued only 31 recalls, down from 172 in FY 2008, 50 in FY 2009, 46 in FY 2010, 34 in 2011, and 38 in 2012. The number of recalls for lead content dropped from 19 in FY 2008 to zero in FY 2013. “The majority of toy recalls announced last year involved ingestion hazards, including chemical and magnetic dangers,” said CPSC.