Toxic Toys Spark Scare in Singapore

RETAILERS, importers and distributors are scrambling to recall more toys and tighten safety checks, a day after a national survey found nearly half of 50 toys sold here contained chemicals harmful to children.

Contacted by the Consumers Association of Singapore (Case), they have taken the first steps to heed the call to start doing more checks on the toys and other products in their stocks.

On Monday, Case revealed that in a test of 50 toys suspected of containing too much lead and phthalates, 23 of them were indeed found to have excessive amounts of these chemicals. The toxic toys are all made in China.

This is not the first time made-in-China toys have been found to contain toxic materials.

Two years ago, toy maker Mattel had to recall 9 million Chinese-made toys, including popular Barbie, Polly Pocket and “Cars” movie items due to the presence of lead paint and tiny magnets that could be swallowed.

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