Mattel hit by 18m toy recall
Tuesday, 14 Aug 2007 16:23
Toys based on the Sarge character from Cars are affected
Around 18.2 million toys produced by toy manufacturer Mattel have been recalled because of magnet and lead concerns.
Announced in cooperation with the United States' Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC), the recall mainly relates to 7.3 million Polly Pocket playsets which contain small magnets.
In total 9.5 million products were recalled from the US, while the remainder were distributed to toys available in the rest of the world.
The CPSC warns that these magnets can become loose and, if swallowed by children, can attract to each other within the body and "cause intestinal perforation or blockage, which can be fatal".
Among the other products affected are Doggie Day Care and Barbie and Tanner magnetic toys.
Meanwhile about 253,000 Sarge die-cast toy cars, from the film Cars, have been recalled in the US because surface paints may contain excessive lead levels. A further 183,000 have been recalled outside the US.
"In response to the problem, the company has stopped sale, has instructed that all products be pulled off retail shelves and has made a production change to address this issue," Nancy Nord of the CPSC said in a press conference.
"The scope of these recalls is intentionally large to prevent any injuries from occurring," she added.
No injuries linked to the recalled products have been reported, but Mattel chairman Robert Ecekert said the company was "deeply apologetic" to its customers.
"The safety of children is our primary concern," he said.
Today's action follows the company's internal ongoing investigation after the recall of 1.5 million Mattel toys 12 days ago. The California-based firm said Hong Li Da, a Chinese subcontractor, used paint "from a non-authorised third-party supplier" in that case.
"We've met with vendors to ensure they understand our tightened procedures and our absolute requirement of strict adherence to them," Jim Walter, senior vice president of worldwide quality assurance at Mattel, said.