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[Gentle Giant]

http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/article/20100208/NEWS02/100207013/Vermont-fights-to-get-lead-out-state-settles-with-discount-retailer-over-toxic-jewelry

A “Sassy and Chic” watch that Dollar Tree stores once sold for lessthan a dollar in Vermont contained 483,672 parts per million of lead —1,600 times the federal cap for the amount of lead in children’sproducts.

<snip>

Dangly earrings: 447,539 parts per million of cadmium, another toxicmetal that federal regulation says is safe in surface treatments at amaximum concentration of 75 parts per million.

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These toxicity findings prompted the Vermont Attorney General’sOffice to pursue and achieve a legal agreement with Dollar Tree Inc.that removed these items from store shelves and prevents similar itemsfrom being sold in the future. Dollar Tree, based in Chesapeake, Va.,operates 3,806 discount variety stores, including six in Vermont.This is the state’s second settlement with a retail giant over thedistribution and sale of cheap metal items that pose serious hazardsfor children. In December 2008, the state reached a settlement withGanz USA, a distributor of charms and metal trinkets. Vermont also wasparty to a multi-state settlement with Mattel Inc. and Fisher PriceInc. regarding the selling of toys with high lead levels in exteriorcoatings.

Four paragraphs cited under Fair Use.


On the bright side, as soon as Dollar Tree was notified of these results, they immediately got those products out of their stores.  But this begs the question:  Why weren't these products tested before they were ever allowed to be put on store shelves, now that China's product safety record is so bad?
Not to mention, would we not be better off as a nation having those kiddie jewelry items produced here in America, by American workers, for a retail cost of -- I dunno -- two dollars each?