Mattel Exempted From Toy Safety Law

Posted on September 1, 2009 in Consumer Goods, Health & Medicine, Parenting, Recalls

The Consumer Product Safety Commission has quietly ruled to allow the nation’s largest toy manufacturer, Mattel, to conduct safety tests in its own laboratories. Meanwhile, other companies are required by law to submit toys to independent laboratories for tests.

Last summer, Congress limited the amount of lead, lead paint and phthalates in toys intended for children 12 and under. The law followed a large number of toy recalls that outraged parents. Mattel and its subsidiary Fisher-Price had six recalls involving more than 2 million lead-contaminated units in 2007. The Barbie manufacturer paid a $2.3 million civil penalty for violating a ban on using lead paints in June.

The CPSC said that Mattel proved that test results were accurate and insulated from corporate influence. Testing toys at independent labs can be costly, sometimes running companies thousands of dollars in fees. Other companies that want to do their own testing are currently petitioning the CPSC for permission. “It’s really ironic that the company that was a principal source of the problem” is now getting favorable treatment from the government,” the Associated Press quoted Michael Green, executive director of the Center for Environmental Health.

Mattel’s labs are located in California, China, Indonesia and Mexico.