Mattel recalls 8 lakh Chinese toys, thousands from India

Global toy manufacturer and marketer Mattel Inc has announced its third major recall of Chinese-made toys in little more than a month, reports Lalatendu Mishra.

Global toy manufacturer and marketer Mattel Inc has announced its third major recall of Chinese-made toys in little more than a month.

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On Tuesday, it recalled more than 8,00,000 toys — including the famous Barbie doll’s accessories — from India and other countries after the toys were found unsafe for children because of their high lead content.

If a child continuously chews on a lead-laced toy, it can affect her physical and mental health. Chronic intake of lead causes plumbism, which results in abdominal pain, paralysis and even collapse.

Only Barbie accessories — pet and furniture play sets — will be pulled out of India. Mattel Toys, India, on Wednesday voluntarily recalled 7,500 such products sold since January 2007. No Barbie doll is part of this recall.

Mattel has asked parents to get full refund or exchange even if they only give back the affected parts. “We don’t want the lead-contaminated parts to stay anywhere in the market or homes,” said Sanjay Luthra, MD, Mattel Toys, India.

A wave of outrage against products made in China is sweeping the world. Nokia recently withdrew batteries made in that country. Recently, the Mumbai Police seized a large number of fake Viagra tablets coming from China.