China's products - LEAD warning in 2006

[Karlin]

I just thought I should put this link up here because another forum deleted my post with it [tin foil hats please!!]

It shows that the lead in Chinese products was known in 2006, but nothing was done by government regulaters OR the corporations importing these goods [or do we call them "bads"? ha ha] .

here is the link and the whole article -

"Environmental Experts Urge Global Lead Paint Ban"
http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/aug2006/2006-08-24-02.asp

CINCINNATI, Ohio, August 24, 2006 (ENS) - Environmental and occupational health experts at the University of Cincinnati, UC, have found that India, China and Malaysia still produce and sell consumer paints with dangerously high lead levels, even on products intended for use by children such as painted playground equipment.

Researchers from four countries say that this lead-based paint production poses a global health threat, and a worldwide ban is urgently needed to avoid future public health problems.

The first study to show that new paint in many unregulated Asian countries greatly exceeds U.S. safety levels, the report appears in the early online edition of the journal "Environmental Research," to be published in September 2006.

Linked to impaired intellectual and physical growth in children, lead is a metal used to improve the durability and color luster of paint used in homes and other buildings and on steel structures, such as bridges.

Lead is also found in some commonly imported consumer products, including candy, folk and traditional medications, ceramic dinnerware, and metallic toys and trinkets.

In 1978, the United States restricted lead content in paint after determining that people, especially young children, were being poisoned by environmental exposures to the metal.

Many Third World countries, says Scott Clark, PhD, did not follow suit, and continue to manufacture and sell lead-based paints that would be prohibited in the United States and in some other countries.

Clark headed a two year study involving researchers from four countries. The scientists found that more than 75 percent of the consumer paint tested from countries without controls on lead paint - representing more than 2.5 billion people - had levels exceeding U.S. regulations.

By contrast, in Singapore, which enforces the same lead restriction on new paint as the United States, lead levels were significantly lower.

"Paint manufacturers are aggressively marketing lead-based paints in countries without lead content restrictions," says Clark, professor of environmental health at UC. "In some cases, companies are offering the same or similar products, minus the lead, in a regulated country."

"There is a clear discrepancy in product safety outside the United States," he adds, "and in today's global economy, it would be irresponsible for us to ignore the public health threat for the citizens in the offending countries, as well as the countries they do business with."

The scientific team analyzed 80 consumer paint samples of various colors and brands from India, Malaysia, China and Singapore to determine the amounts of lead in the samples and compare them with U.S. standards.

paintAbout 50 percent of the paint sold in China, India and Malaysia had lead levels 30 times higher than U.S. regulations. In contrast in Singapore, which has well-enforced regulations, only 10 percent of paint samples were above U.S. regulations, the highest being six times the U.S. limit.

"Lead-based paints have already poisoned millions of children in the United States and will likely cause similar damage in the future as paint use increases in Asian countries and elsewhere," he says. "Our findings provide stark evidence of the urgent need for an effective worldwide ban on the use of lead-based paint."

"We've known for years that there are good substitutes for lead in paint," he said, "so it's absolutely incomprehensible that paint manufacturers - particularly large companies with plentiful resources - would knowingly distribute a product that can be dangerous to people."

Clark says some lead-contaminated items intended for use by children, such as painted playground equipment, are manufactured in countries with limited to zero government regulation on lead in consumer products.

Although American brand paints were not available for purchase in this study, several U.S. multinational paint companies are among the top-selling paints in Asia and some Asian paint companies have arrangements with U.S. companies.

Collaborators in this study include Rebecca Clark and Sandy Roda of UC, Krishna Rampal, MD, of the University Kebangsaan Malaysia, Venkatesh Thuppil, PhD, of the National Referral Center for Lead Poisoning Prevention in India, and Chin Chen of the Occupational Safety and Health Center at Singapore Polytechnic.

 

[Dexter Sinister]

Yeah, I try to avoid Chinese-made products if I can, but it's not easy. Low labour costs and minimal safety and environmental standards in China have led a lot of manufacturers to set up plants there, and experience has given me no confidence in their quality control. I'm not much concerned about lead in the paint on children's toys except in the abstract, my children are in their 20s and long past the age of licking their toys. In the last 5 years or so, however, I've bought goods manufactured in China, essentially because I had no choice, everything seems to be made in China these days, and been deeply disappointed in them. A toaster is about as simple an appliance as there is, for instance, and there's a 50-year old one in the cabin at the lake that still works perfectly. The one in my kitchen at home, however, is less than 2 years old, a reputable brand name, but it doesn't pop up anymore. Made in China. I recently bought an electric pressure washer at Canadian Tire, a reputable American brand name, Simoniz, but made in China. It failed after less than 2 hours of running time. I took it back, got a replacement, and it too failed after less than 2 hours of running time. I took it back, and got my money back; I didn't really want a third one. I went to Sears and got a Karcher, an Austrian brand, made in Italy, and it's worked fine for over 50 hours of running time.

One of my many brothers-in-law works for a company that makes electronic sub-assemblies for outfits like Cisco and IBM. They set up an assembly plant in China, or tried to, and it failed, because they couldn't get the Chinese to understand quality. The Chinese attitude, as he reported it, was that if it worked when it went out the door of the plant, that's good enough. But it's not. It has to keep on working for a certain designed lifetime, and they lost some large German customers because the Germans, with typical Teutonic thoroughness, tested everything they received to its designed limits and too many components failed prematurely because of careless soldering and inadequate cooling. The Chinese don't understand quality control yet, just as the Japanese didn't get it in the years shortly after World War 2 when "Made in Japan" was pretty much code for cheap and shoddy merchandise. The Japanese got it eventually, and their cameras and automobiles and electronics are now among the best in the world. I'm sure the Chinese will figure it out eventually too, but until they do, I'll pay a substantial premium for goods made anywhere but China.

 

[ccsraj]

I just thought I should put this link up here because another forum deleted my post with it [tin foil hats please!!]

It shows that the lead in Chinese products was known in 2006, but nothing was done by government regulaters OR the corporations importing these goods [or do we call them "bads"? ha ha] .

here is the link and the whole article -

"Environmental Experts Urge Global Lead Paint Ban"
http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/aug2006/2006-08-24-02.asp

CINCINNATI, Ohio, August 24, 2006 (ENS) - Environmental and occupational health experts at the University of Cincinnati, UC, have found that India, China and Malaysia still produce and sell consumer paints with dangerously high lead levels, even on products intended for use by children such as painted playground equipment.

Researchers from four countries say that this lead-based paint production poses a global health threat, and a worldwide ban is urgently needed to avoid future public health problems.

The first study to show that new paint in many unregulated Asian countries greatly exceeds U.S. safety levels, the report appears in the early online edition of the journal "Environmental Research," to be published in September 2006.

Linked to impaired intellectual and physical growth in children, lead is a metal used to improve the durability and color luster of paint used in homes and other buildings and on steel structures, such as bridges.

Lead is also found in some commonly imported consumer products, including candy, folk and traditional medications, ceramic dinnerware, and metallic toys and trinkets.

In 1978, the United States restricted lead content in paint after determining that people, especially young children, were being poisoned by environmental exposures to the metal.

Many Third World countries, says Scott Clark, PhD, did not follow suit, and continue to manufacture and sell lead-based paints that would be prohibited in the United States and in some other countries.

Clark headed a two year study involving researchers from four countries. The scientists found that more than 75 percent of the consumer paint tested from countries without controls on lead paint - representing more than 2.5 billion people - had levels exceeding U.S. regulations.

By contrast, in Singapore, which enforces the same lead restriction on new paint as the United States, lead levels were significantly lower.

"Paint manufacturers are aggressively marketing lead-based paints in countries without lead content restrictions," says Clark, professor of environmental health at UC. "In some cases, companies are offering the same or similar products, minus the lead, in a regulated country."

"There is a clear discrepancy in product safety outside the United States," he adds, "and in today's global economy, it would be irresponsible for us to ignore the public health threat for the citizens in the offending countries, as well as the countries they do business with."

The scientific team analyzed 80 consumer paint samples of various colors and brands from India, Malaysia, China and Singapore to determine the amounts of lead in the samples and compare them with U.S. standards.

paintAbout 50 percent of the paint sold in China, India and Malaysia had lead levels 30 times higher than U.S. regulations. In contrast in Singapore, which has well-enforced regulations, only 10 percent of paint samples were above U.S. regulations, the highest being six times the U.S. limit.

"Lead-based paints have already poisoned millions of children in the United States and will likely cause similar damage in the future as paint use increases in Asian countries and elsewhere," he says. "Our findings provide stark evidence of the urgent need for an effective worldwide ban on the use of lead-based paint."

"We've known for years that there are good substitutes for lead in paint," he said, "so it's absolutely incomprehensible that paint manufacturers - particularly large companies with plentiful resources - would knowingly distribute a product that can be dangerous to people."

Clark says some lead-contaminated items intended for use by children, such as painted playground equipment, are manufactured in countries with limited to zero government regulation on lead in consumer products.

Although American brand paints were not available for purchase in this study, several U.S. multinational paint companies are among the top-selling paints in Asia and some Asian paint companies have arrangements with U.S. companies.

Collaborators in this study include Rebecca Clark and Sandy Roda of UC, Krishna Rampal, MD, of the University Kebangsaan Malaysia, Venkatesh Thuppil, PhD, of the National Referral Center for Lead Poisoning Prevention in India, and Chin Chen of the Occupational Safety and Health Center at Singapore Polytechnic.

Usage of dangrous lead in paints has to be banned.

 

[Karlin]

Yup, thats stuff is generally crap.
Like you said, as long as it appears to be the product consumers are looking for, thats good enough for the Chinese exporters. There is a Chinese "I Phone" now too, which Pop Mech mag reports as being "superior" to the original!! [its not, it is crap too]. We have a propaganda machine running here to promote Chinese products, which shows why regulaters are not willing to look closely at the products. Thats why the 2006 warnings were ignorned, and thats why the 2006 warnings were not reported on the recent news.

The Chinese exporters have a kind of cynicism towards the American consumer where the Chinese think the Americans are just happy to spend money, they get a thrill out of that, and the product doesn't really matter.

 

[SwitSof]

Actually it's rather of how heaps of Chinese have turned to be greedy that they adopt the practice to have as little cost as possible, to produce as many things as possible as quickly as possible.
Am a Chinese descent actually but even I spot differences on our values amongst Chinese from the mainland, Chinese descents from Singapore, Malaysia, etc.
Read in Wall Street Journal that even some products like toothpaste can be dangerous! So yeah beware till the day China adopts high quality practices like Japan, just like Dexter said. Now I only heard how proud Japanese are about the quality of their products and services.

I heard in UK, heaps of Chinese goods are banned to enter the country cause that would make the local producers lose the competition. Whereas Ireland is doing the same thing, but for a different reason, that is to protest about the human rights abuse in China.

 

[Karlin]

When they embrace the higher standard of quality?
Or, are things moving in the opposite direction?

for the Japanese, it was government regulations that helped raise the quality - producers needed a "level playing field" in order to spend the extra time and money on quality. That is one role of government - to regulate corporate activities for the benefit of both corporations and consumer. Idealy, that is. What we are getting is less and less government oversight and control of corporations activities.

Look at the SPP meeting in Montebello this weekend where regulations are going to be out the window when Canada Mexico and the USA "harmonize" their business practices [meaning whoever has the least regulation wins because otherwise it means governments are hampering business, and under NAFTA those businesses can SUE the government who put up thoise "barriers" that protect consumers, the environment, etc.

 

[s243a]

Yeah, I try to avoid Chinese-made products if I can, but it's not easy. Low labour costs and minimal safety and environmental standards in China have led a lot of manufacturers to set up plants there, and experience has given me no confidence in their quality control. I'm not much concerned about lead in the paint on children's toys except in the abstract, my children are in their 20s and long past the age of licking their toys. In the last 5 years or so, however, I've bought goods manufactured in China, essentially because I had no choice, everything seems to be made in China these days, and been deeply disappointed in them. A toaster is about as simple an appliance as there is, for instance, and there's a 50-year old one in the cabin at the lake that still works perfectly. The one in my kitchen at home, however, is less than 2 years old, a reputable brand name, but it doesn't pop up anymore. Made in China. I recently bought an electric pressure washer at Canadian Tire, a reputable American brand name, Simoniz, but made in China. It failed after less than 2 hours of running time. I took it back, got a replacement, and it too failed after less than 2 hours of running time. I took it back, and got my money back; I didn't really want a third one. I went to Sears and got a Karcher, an Austrian brand, made in Italy, and it's worked fine for over 50 hours of running time.

One of my many brothers-in-law works for a company that makes electronic sub-assemblies for outfits like Cisco and IBM. They set up an assembly plant in China, or tried to, and it failed, because they couldn't get the Chinese to understand quality. The Chinese attitude, as he reported it, was that if it worked when it went out the door of the plant, that's good enough. But it's not. It has to keep on working for a certain designed lifetime, and they lost some large German customers because the Germans, with typical Teutonic thoroughness, tested everything they received to its designed limits and too many components failed prematurely because of careless soldering and inadequate cooling. The Chinese don't understand quality control yet, just as the Japanese didn't get it in the years shortly after World War 2 when "Made in Japan" was pretty much code for cheap and shoddy merchandise. The Japanese got it eventually, and their cameras and automobiles and electronics are now among the best in the world. I'm sure the Chinese will figure it out eventually too, but until they do, I'll pay a substantial premium for goods made anywhere but China.

Companies should be careful when buying things from other countries without taking an effort to ensure good quality. Maybe in the short term it will be profitable but in the longer term it will devalue the brand name.