This rash of recalls of China-made products needs to be looked at and the U.S. government does not seem too interested in taking any initiative. Why? Are they afraid of damaging relations with this behemoth of a trade partner? Are they worried that this lucrative market will take its business elsewhere? Not a chance. Are they actually choosing to make money over the safety of their fellow countrymen?
We have had a wide range of products recalled due to inferior quality that could result in injury or death to U.S. citizens. Contaminated pet food, faulty automobile tires, cancer-causing chemically-laden fish, toothpaste laced with chemicals and lead-laden toys have all been recently found coming from China. The scariest part is that these products were only discovered after they had reached the U.S. and most were already for sale to consumers.
Why don’t I hear more of an uproar about this problem?
There needs to be more oversight and inspection of these products before they reach our shore. One would think that given the fact that these items have been sent back (they have been sent back, right?) that China would do something more to ensure these problems are not repeated.
I understand that some of these products are made by U.S. companies that have either moved from the U.S. or have simply outsourced their production seeking cheaper labor costs. It is bad enough that these companies have forsaken the U.S. worker in order to save themselves money so they can realize a larger profit margin, but to completely disregard their fellow Americans health and safety to earn a buck is the height of greediness.
These companies need to be identified and their products boycotted.
In almost every situation in life when some crime or under-handed action is learned of it turns out to be only the tip of the iceberg. And with the limited resources available to organizations like the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, who is responsible for recalling inferior and unsafe products, you can bet their hands are full. In fact, Scott Wolfson, the commission's deputy director for public affairs says he expects to recall about 450 products this year, about 60% from China - up from less than 50% in previous years.
The majority of these products are made in Southern China’s low-cost manufacturing hub that is notorious for it’s lax regulations. Why is it, that since we know where the problem with lax regulation is, the Chinese government isn’t doing something about it?
Or, maybe they are. To give them the benefit of the doubt, at least for now, that region has grown very rapidly in the past few years due to U.S. companies leaving the U.S. behind so they can take advantage of a cheaper labor force. In China, they don’t have to bother themselves with such ‘burdens’ as health care, social security, and workers compensation. Side note: if the U.S. had redirected the over one trillion dollars it has wasted to support the war in Iraq toward a better healthcare system and a better funded Social Security system and a better funded Workers Compensation program then these American corporations would still be in the U.S. spending their profits to pay American workers instead of foreign workers.
But, I digress. We will assume, until we have proof otherwise, that because the manufacturing region in South China has grown so fast that China has not had the time to create quality-control inspectors to ensure our safety. They have the incentive to do so. I know they are serious about product safety because they recently executed the head of their equivalent of out FDA for taking bribes. If only justice could be meted out that quickly here in the U.S. we would be infinitely better off in so many ways.
China needs to put safeguards in place quickly, and American companies in China need to be more vigilant about our safety, because the American public is, or will soon be, fed up with not being able to trust China-made products. Since, it seems, they are being ‘forced down our throats’ we better get used to the idea that China is going to be our biggest source of damn near everything. The first line of defense in preventing unsafe products from reaching our shores should rest with the companies producing those products. And the cost should be absorbed by them.
The second line of defense rests, now as it always has, with the Consumer Product Safety Commission. However, it is impossible to test all products coming into the country, especially considering the size of this regulatory agency. The commission has about 400 full-time employees, an amount some lawmakers say needs to be boosted. I agree and, again, if we wasn’t spending so damn much money on Iraq the commission could have more full-time employees to protect our citizens.
The FDA has a similar difficulty, in that it tests less than 1% of all imports, down from 1.5% in 1997. Here is another place where some of that money going to the pentagon could be spent where it would do more good.
So, you see, we never have had a history of inspecting 100% of all imports. To think we ever could would be fantasy. China has to step up and take responsibility for what they claim as coming from their country and the American companies that do business there need to work with the Chinese government to ensure that it happens.
For those of you who are interested, the Consumer Product Safety Commission's Web site lists trinkets, toys and other products recalled because of dangerous lead content or other safety violations. The FDA has a similar recall page on its Web site, or you can visit www.recalls.gov for a compilation of government agencies recalling products.
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