The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) says that its enforcement efforts have prevented nearly 650,000 potentially hazardous products from reaching consumers during the last three months of 2011.
Working in conjunction with U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents, CPSC port investigators reportedly screened more than 2900 imported shipments at ports of entry into the U.S. Using various testing methods and equipment, investigators identified about 240 different products that violated mandatory federal standards, consisting of 647,000 individual product units.
Topping the list of seized products were children’s products containing lead levels in excess of federal limits, toys with small parts that could present a choking hazard to young children, and toys and childcare articles with banned phthalates. Other seized items included defective hair dryers, lamps and holiday gifts. The majority of seized products originated in China, with a handful of products originating in Mexico and Japan.
Read the extensive list of the products seized by the CPSC during the fourth quarter of 2011.
