To Save A Buck (or two)

Before the holidays, there was a lot written about the safety of China’s exports; namely, toys. Many shoppers were on high-alert, looking for toys that were not manufactured in China, or, at the very least, were not at the top of any recall lists.

And then today I read a story in the Wall Street Journal that began like this:

“Over the holidays, millions of American children received Chinese-made toys powered by cadmium batteries.

Cadmium batteries are safe to use. They are also cheap, saving American parents about $1.50 on the average toy, compared with pricier batteries.”

The article then goes on to say that the cheap price of these batteries does not reveal the heavy price the Chinese workers making them must pay for inhaling the toxic red cadmium dust. Problems such as kidney failure, lung cancer and bone disease can be the result of breathing in this toxic metal.

You can read the entire article here. And note this: “In America, five years after Hasbro stopped using nickel-cadmium batteries, Mattel and Toys “R” Us are yet to follow suit, but say they are exploring alternatives. Wal-Mart no longer purchases cadmium batteries from GP but declined to comment on whether it still uses them in its products.”

It is bone-chilling to think about how many people may be now suffering or even dead so that we can save $1.50 on the ‘average toy’.

Comments

  1. Life As I Know It says

    SCARY! This whole toy fiasco is scary. And the more I read, the more nervous I become at all the toxins not only in our kids’ toys but in our environment and home.
    Crazy, stuff. Thanks for posting this!

  2. That makes me hurt to even think about.

  3. Ug. I hate battery-operated toys. I hate batteries. …

    This is also why we’ve stopped buying/eating prepackaged microwave popcorn. Don’t want to buy something that’s killing people who make it. Now we nuke regular popcorn in paper lunch bags. Now I’m hoping the glue in the paper bags isn’t toxic . … oy.

  4. ugh. thanks for the heads up, though!

    I think I’ll just go with books from now on. Books and cardboard boxes.

    We have a birthday present to buy for Sunday. Maybe a game…

  5. Tammy and Parker says

    Have you been here: http://www.thestoryofstuff.com

    Talks about this same kind of thing. I am so totally with you on this.

    Tammy and Parker

  6. Just Seeking says

    This kind of thing makes me very NOT proud to be an American. What we do to the rest of the world is sinful and sad.

Leave a Reply to toyfoto Cancel reply

*

CommentLuv badge