Man I hope Yao uses Crest or AquaFresh MSNBC.com Chinese-made hotel toothpaste recalled Toxic chemical found in complimentary tubes distributed worldwide The Associated Press Updated: 10:05 a.m. CT Aug 13, 2007 INDIANAPOLIS - A leading supplier of toiletries for hotels and resorts said Monday it was recalling worldwide complimentary tubes of toothpaste made in China after tests showed some may contain a potentially toxic chemical. It was the latest in a series of recalls of Chinese-made goods — toothpaste, children’s toys, tires and pet food — because of shoddy and perhaps dangerous manufacturing methods. Gilchrist & Soames is recalling its 18-milliliter or 0.65-ounce tubes with the name Gilchrist & Soames on it. The company said Monday that some samples showed the tubes contained diethylene glycol, a chemical found in antifreeze and can be toxic to the kidneys and liver. “They’re just kind of the little complimentary size you get in the hotels, and it’s branded Gilchrist & Soames,” said Cindy Duran, a spokeswoman for the company, which is based in Indianapolis. Gilchrist & Soames bills itself as “the only branded toiletries company dedicated to the luxury hotel market,” according to its Web site. It serves The Greenbrier in West Virginia, The Properties at Pebble Beach in California and Plaza on the River in London, among other locations. The toothpaste was made China by Ming Fai Enterprises International Co. Ltd. The Food and Drug Administration is not aware of any U.S. reports of poisonings from the toothpaste, according to a statement from the company. China has come under fire in recent months after potentially dangerous levels of chemicals and toxins were found in some of its exports. A long list of products, from seafood to toothpaste, have been recalled or rejected by a number of countries worried about safety. © 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20247641/
This is starting to get ridiculous. China needs to get on the ball and stop producing poor quality and dangerous products.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/08/13/china.toymaker.ap/index.html BEIJING, China (AP) -- The head of a Chinese manufacturing company accused of shipping hundreds of thousands of lead-tainted toys later recalled in the United States has committed suicide, a state-run newspaper said Monday. Two toys of the same kind recalled by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Zhang Shuhong, who co-owned Lee Der Industrial Company, killed himself at a warehouse over the weekend, days after China announced it had temporarily banned exports by the company, the Southern Metropolis Daily said. Lee Der made 967,000 toys recalled earlier this month by Mattel Inc. because they were made with paint containing excessive amounts of lead. The plastic preschool toys, sold under the Fisher-Price brand in the U.S., included the popular Big Bird, Elmo, Dora and Diego characters. It was among the largest recalls in recent months involving Chinese products, which have come under fire globally for containing potentially dangerous high levels of chemicals and toxins. The Southern Metropolis Daily said that a supplier, Zhang's best friend, sold Lee Der the contaminated paint. "The boss and the company were harmed by the paint supplier, the closest friend of our boss," a manager surnamed Liu was quoted as saying. Liu said Zhang hanged himself on Saturday, according to the report. It is common for disgraced officials to commit suicide in China. "When I rushed there around 5 p.m., police had already sealed off the area," the newspaper quoted a manager surnamed Liu as saying. "I saw that our boss had two deep marks in his neck." A company official who answered the telephone at the Lee Der factory in the southern city of Foshan on Monday said he had not heard of the news. A man at Lee Der's main office in Hong Kong said the company was not accepting interviews and hung up. According to a search on a registry of Hong Kong companies, Zhang -- whose name is spelled Cheung Shu-hung in official documents -- is a co-owner of Lee Der. The other owner, Chiu Kwei-tsun, did not return telephone messages left for him. The recall by El Segundo, California-based Mattel came just two months after RC2, a New York company, recalled 1.5 million Chinese-made wooden railroad toys and set parts from its Thomas & Friends Wooden Railway product line because of lead paint. The maker, Hansheng Wood Products Factory, was also included in the export ban announced Thursday by the General Administration for Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, one of China's quality watchdogs. The administration also ordered both companies to evaluate and change their business practices. Lead poisoning can cause vomiting, anemia and learning difficulties. In extreme cases, it can cause severe neurological damage and death. The quality watchdog also said police were investigating two companies' use of "fake plastic pigment" but did not give any details. Such pigments are a type of industrial latex usually used to increase surface gloss and smoothness. Telephones rang unanswered at the public security bureau in Foshan and at Dongxing New Energy Company, which is the paint supplier. In its report, the Southern Metropolis Daily said Zhang, who was in his 50s, treated his 5,000-odd employees well and always paid them on time. The morning of his suicide, he greeted workers and chatted with some of them, the newspaper said. Chinese companies often have long supply chains, making it difficult to trace the exact origin of components, chemicals and food additives. On Sunday, a Chinese court sentenced a reporter to a year in jail for faking a television story about cardboard-filled meat buns in a case that has drawn even more attention to China's poor food safety record. Zi Beijia, 28, pleaded guilty to charges of infringing on the reputation of a commodity during his trial at the Beijing number two Intermediate Court, the official Xinhua News Agency said. He was sentenced to a year in jail and a fine of $132, it said. Zi's story, reportedly shot with a hidden camera, appeared to show a makeshift kitchen where people made steamed buns stuffed with shredded cardboard softened with caustic soda plus a little bit of fatty pork. Zi paid four migrant workers from China's northern Shaanxi province to prepare the buns according to his instructions, Xinhua said. The buns were then fed to dogs, it said. The story was first broadcast on Beijing Television's Life Channel, where Zi was a freelance reporter, on July 8 and then again on China Central Television. It was also widely seen on YouTube.com.
Mattel recalling more Chinese-made toys By NATASHA METZLER, Associated Press Writer 4 minutes ago Toy-making giant Mattel Inc. issued recalls Tuesday for millions of Chinese-made toys that contain magnets that can be swallowed by children or could have lead paint. The recalls includes 7.3 million play sets, including Polly Pocket dolls and Batman action figures, and 1.5 million die cast cars that contain lead paint. The action was announced on the company's Web site and at a news conference here by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Nancy A. Nord, acting CPSC chairman, said no injuries had been reported with any of the products involved in the recall. "The scope of these recalls is intentionally large to prevent any injuries from occurring," she told the news conference. It was the latest blow to the toy industry, which has had a string of recalled products from China, ranging from faulty tires to tainted toothpaste. With more than 80 percent of toys sold worldwide made in China, toy sellers are nervous that shoppers will shy away from their products. The recall involving lead paint was Mattel's second in two weeks. Earlier this month, consumers were warned about 1.5 million Chinese-made toys that contain lead paint. Toys recalled Tuesday include 253,000 Sarge brand cars, because the surface paint could contain lead levels in excess of federal standard. The 2 1/2-inch, 1-inch high car looks like a military jeep. Also recalled were 345,000 Batman and "One Piece" action figures, 683,000 Barbie and Tanner play sets and 1 million Doggie Day Care play sets. In full-page ads Tuesday in The New York Times and other newspapers, Mattel said it was "one of the most trusted names with parents" and was "working extremely hard to address your concerns and continue creating safe, entertaining toys for you and your children."
Whats so special about antifreeze that its in practically every recalled product from China? Is it the Robutussin of factories? Can someone please shed some light on why the hell the crap that I put in my car in the winter is so delicious that it has to be used in everything?
