11.22.10
Make Sure to Get the Lead In
Don’t put it in your mouth. Much.
From the wires, the standard story of the American business fronting made-in-China stuff with lead in it. Stuff that we used to be able to make. But American workers just cost too much. And it’s so much more profitable to bypass all consumer protections for offshored things.
Federal regulators launched an investigation Monday into lead levels in drinking glasses depicting comic book and movie characters, declaring that the items are subject to standards for “children’s products.”
Testing commissioned by The Associated Press revealed that the glasses contained lead up to 1,000 times the federal limit for children’s products — as much as 30 percent by weight. The items also contained lesser amounts of the more-toxic metal cadmium.
The glasses — with colorful designs depicting the likes of Superman, Wonder Woman and characters from “The Wizard of Oz” such as Dorothy and the Tin Man — did not release high amounts of lead from the decorations, and no one would be injured by handling them. The issue is whether the glasses, made in China, comply with strict federal law on how much lead can be in a children’s product.
The importer of the glasses, Vandor LLC of Utah, told AP the glasses are targeted to adult collectors and that they passed testing for lead.
But a spokesman for the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Scott Wolfson, said Monday that the agency considers the glasses children’s products and is currently collecting samples for its own testing.Last week, while commenting on AP’s test results, Warner Brothers said, “It is generally understood that the primary consumer for these products is an adult, usually a collector.”
However, on Warner Brothers’ website, the superhero glasses are sold alongside kids’ T-shirts with similar images and a school lunch box. An online retailer, http://www.retroplanet.com, describes the 10-ounce glasses as “a perfect way to serve cold drinks to your children or guests.”
Note standard deployment of cya lying by US corporate businessmen.
Official photo is of DD’s made-in-China mojo free Mojo Deluxe Blues & Rock harmonica, the single most absurd piece of kit I have in my possession.
Made for use at corporate seminars where managers and cubicle workers can be taught to blow their blues away in unison.
Sadly, the Mojo Deluxe was not a success.
By the way, if you’re in Pasadena on December 12th, I’ll show it to you as bonus for attending the Dick Destiny Band’s free holiday party/rock show. Just ask for directions.