Some troubling statistics were released recently that demonstrate just how dangerous toys manufactured in China may be. According to AFP, “China's safety watchdog has found nearly one in ten toys in the domestic market is unsafe, highlighting widespread quality problems in the country's poorly regulated manufacturing industry.”

And we’re not talking minor health risks:  According to the report, “three of the toys contained heavy metals such as lead and chromium, which can be poisonous, while other products had sharp edges and ‘dangerous protuberances’… [and] Up to 20 percent of each product were found to have problems including excessive levels of formaldehyde and durability issues.”

Yikes-- we’d take an exploding watermelon any day over a toy filled with formaldehyde. But in all seriousness, when these unsafe products are exported to the U.S., American workers and their families suffer. 

In 2008, more than 80 percent of the product recalls by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission involved Chinese products. It’s time we stand up to China’s unfair and predatory trade practices that cost us American jobs and that enable unsafe products like these to flood U.S. markets.

Click here to learn more about China and product safety.