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December 17, 2008

Pushing Wal-Mart to get the lead out

To get the lead out on getting the lead out of children's toys, that is.
This month, testers with the Center for Environmental Health, a consumer advocacy group in Oakland, Calif., said that Wal-Mart frog-charm jewelry contained levels of lead higher than allowed by California state law. The group informed the California attorney general's office, which then sent a notice of violation last week to Wal-Mart, telling the company to remove the item from its stores, according to Christine Gasparac, a spokeswoman for the attorney general.

Yep, Wally-World respects profits more than child safety as well as decent wages and labor rights.

The testers are using hand-held X-ray guns that look somewhat like Star Trek phasers. The Consumer Product Safety Commission also uses them, although they do follow-up lab testing.

Despite the toy industry spin, I'm sure the guns don't work perfectly, even if people don't have enough training. But, at bottom line it is spin... spin that's sinking, well...

Sinking like a lead balloon.

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