Daiso has issued another recall of more defective toys. This time, about 430 Daiso Wooden Toys are being recalled over a choking hazard, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced. Daiso California LLC is located in Burlingame, California.
The Daiso Wooden Toys have small parts that can break and detach, posing a choking hazard to young children. To date, no incidents or injuries have been reported.
This recent recall involves four models of Daiso wooden toys including Penguin Handbell, Pull Doll, Alligator Pull Toy, and Rolling Animals. The Penguin Handbell has a small metal bell inside its hollow interior. The Pull Doll’s limbs move up and down when the string is pulled. The Alligator Pull Toy is green and yellow and will move in an undulating fashion when pulled. The Rolling Animals are in the forms of a dog, rabbit, cat, and mice; the toys’ tails are connected to the bodies by metal springs. Daiso is printed on the product’s packaging.
The defective Daiso Wooden Toys were manufactured in China and were sold at Daiso stores in California from December 2008 through May 2009 for between $1 and $4.
We have long been writing about the myriad problems associated with imports entering the United States from China. In recent years, imports from China have been at the center of safety worries in the United States and other countries with Chinese-made products impacting everything from medications, to toys, to consumer products, to pet food, to tooth paste. Both recent Daiso recalls involve a variety of toys made in China.
The CPSC is advising consumers to immediately take the recalled toys away from children and contact Daiso for a free replacement toy or a full refund. Daiso can be reached toll-free at 1-888) 580-8841 between 9:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. Pacific Time, Monday through Friday, or at the firms’ Web site at www.daisorecall.com
Yesterday we wrote that about 130 Children’s Toys, Purses, and Pen Cases were recalled by Daiso due to violation of lead paint and phthalate limits. The surface paint on the balancing toys and zippers of the purses and pen cases contain excessive levels of lead, violating the federal lead paint ban. The inflatable baseball bat toys contain excessive levels of DEHP, violating the federal phthalate standard. To date, no incidents or injuries have been reported; however in the case of lead and phthalate exposure, reactions may take some time to appear.
Exposure to lead in children can cause brain and nervous system damage, behavioral and learning problems, slowed growth, hearing problems, headaches, mental and physical retardation, and behavioral and other health problems. Lead is also known to cause cancer and reproductive harm. Once poisoned by lead, no organ system is immune. Of particular concern is the developing brain because negative influences can have long-lasting effects and can continue well into puberty and beyond. Phthalates are chemicals that enable flexibility in plastics and vinyls and which are known in laboratory testing to cause reproductive disturbances such as decreased sperm count, infertility, and reproductive tract malformation.
