The Chinese producer of the bead toys that caused massive
recalls in the United States and Australia apologized yesterday for
using a toxic chemical and damaging the reputation of the
made-in-China label.
The apology from Hong Kong-based JSSY Limited Company came 20
days after the US recalled 4.2 million pieces of the toys for
containing 1,4-butanediol, a chemical that can turn toxic and cause
unconsciousness, earning it notoriety as a "date rape" drug.
Similar recalls were made in Australia.
In the written apology, JSSY admitted that it had used the toxic
chemical as a softener.
It said Australia-based Moose Enterprises sent the company some
bead samples in September 2005, and asked it to develop products
with similar outlook and function.
The company said it decided to use 1,4-butanediol as a softener
for its expansibility and viscidity - or adhesive nature - in a
contract toy factory in Shenzhen, and then exported the products to
Moose. The toys were then sold as Moose products in the US and
Australia.
The Associated Press reported that the toys were supposed to be
made with the nontoxic 1,5-pentanediol, a chemical commonly used in
computer printer ink. However, this costs three or four times
more.
At least five children in the two countries have been reported
to be ill after swallowing the beads.
JSSY said: "We apologize to the children who have fallen ill
after swallowing the beads, and their families. We also apologize
to other Chinese toymakers who have been affected by the damage to
the made-in-China label.
"We'll tighten risk analysis and management of chemicals to
ensure product safety in future production."
The General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection
and Quarantine (AQSIQ), the country's top quality watchdog, said in
a statement yesterday that it would punish the enterprises involved
according to law.
Exports of the bead toys were suspended as soon as the recalls
were reported, and the export license of the toy factory in
Shenzhen has also been revoked.
However, Customs figures in Guangdong Province, which produces
70 percent of the toys for export, show that export demand has
rebounded despite a spate of recalls this year.
The value of toys exported by Guangdong slipped by 5.4 percent
in September compared to the same period last year, but bounced
back to register a year-on-year increase of 27.6 percent last
month, the Xinhua News Agency reported yesterday.
Customs analysts said the rebound was spurred by rising demand
in the Christmas retail season, and it also shows that toy recalls
abroad proved to have had limited impact on the province's toy
exports.
(China Daily November 29, 2007)