Thomas the Tank: Public Enemy Number One
by Jennifer Altavilla
Who knew that Thomas the Tank Engine and Dora the Explorer, two beloved children's television show characters, could be so dangerous? Thomas wooden trains and Dora dolls, along with selected Polly Pockets playsets, Elmo and Big Bird toys, and Barbies, have all recently been recalled either because they contain traces of lead (as Thomas and Dora did), or because they have easily removable magnets, like some Polly Pockets. This recent explosion of contaminated or defective Chinese-made toys has not only forced the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission to reexamine its inspection practices, but has also forced the U.S. government to reconsider whether outsourcing toy production to China, which currently produces 80% of the world's toy, is still lucrative.
The most recent recall on August 14, which included 9.5 million Mattel toys, is the third recall in the last three months. The August 2 recall, which affected 1.5 million Fisher-Price preschool toys, was preceded by a June recall of 1.5 million Thomas the Tank Engine trains. A November 2006 recall of 2.5 million faulty Polly Pocket playsets should have been a harbinger of the summer mass recalls. The playsets were taken off the shelves due to their easily dislodged magnets, which, if swallowed, can cause intestinal perforation. Since 2003, one child has died and 19 more have been injured from such ingestion.
If there were problems with Chinese manufactured toys as early as last year, then why hasn't anything been done yet to protect consumers? Nancy Nord, acting chairwoman of the Consumer Product Safety Commission, said Chinese manufacturers are planning on coming to Washington, D.C. this fall to undergo safety training sessions.
The meetings, if they go as planned, are one step in the right direction, but ensuring the safety of American consumers is not as simple as training the managers of manufacturing companies. The problem with Chinese-produced toys is that the final products are the terminus of a long supply chain. Manufacturing companies buy the toy supplies, for example, the paint to color the Thomas the Tank Engine trains, from other companies. Thus, the paint passes through at least two hands before it is ever placed on the toy. Which part of the chain should be responsible for ensuring the paint is lead free? The supplier should. However, should the manufacturer be blamed if the paint turns out to be contaminated? Should the manufacturer have to inspect the paint before it is put on the product?
Ultimately though, it is the responsibility of the purchaser, in this case, the United States, to inspect the toy shipments, since its citizens are the ones receiving the products. However, is it unreasonable to expect that such inspections should also take place before the product is shipped? Is it possible for the United States to monitor or even implement such inspections? Even if these Chinese manufacturers meet with United States government officials this fall, how will the United States ensure that discussed practices are used? Such safety measures need to be taken for the business relationship between China and the U.S. to continue. Manufacturers know something is wrong. Cheung Shu-hung, co-owner of Lee Der Industrial Company, which made some of the recalled toys, hung himself on August 2nd, apparently in response the second wave of recalls.
If the United States does not want to deal with monitoring new safety procedures abroad, it does have another choice: it can manufacture some toys within its own borders and oversee safety policies itself. Wages for Chinese workers have been rising, possibly as much as 10% annually. There has also been a decrease in available workers in recent years. Factories tend to recruit women aged 18 to 25 who are trained to operate machinery. However, there are few workers who meet that standard. So far, improved productivity has been able to offset higher wages and a decreased workforce, but eventually the increased wages will spike up the price of goods. The United States has to prepare itself for such a price increase. Is the country willing to pay workers the federal minimum wage of $5.85 to make toys or will it simply find another poor country, such as the Philippines or Indonesia, to exploit? If toy production simply switches hands or stays in China and does not become domestic, the government needs to find a way ensure consumer safety. It needs to decide which is more important: the health of the citizens or the health of the economy.
