It’s Time for Mattel’s Punishment
June 6, 2009 by Mark Ellis
Filed under Business
For the most part, lead-based products contaminating children’s toys seemed like a thing of the past until 2007, when Mattel Inc. was forced to recall millions of popular toys because of a violation of a federal law that bans lead paint. Because of their breach of the ban, Mattel has now been ordered by the Consumer Product Safety Commission to pay $2.3 million in civil penalties.
According to Mattel, one of the most recognizable toymakers in the world, it and its Fisher-Price division, which will also pay the fine, violated no laws. However, the CPSC certainly disagrees, stating that the CPSC will always uphold the safety of children as its largest priority and that Mattel and Fisher-Price had knowingly acted in such a way to pose a threat.
The 1978 federal ban prohibits goods marketed toward children that have more than 0.06 percent of their weight in lead. According to the CPSC, Mattel and Fisher-Price combined imported about 2 million toys between 2006 and 2007 that do not comply to the specifications set by the ban.
Image: Flickr
