Lead in Toys Sparks Lawsuit

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The California attorney general and Los Angeles city attorney said they would file a lawsuit today against Mattel Inc., Toys R Us Inc. and 18 other companies, accusing them of making or selling products that contain “unlawful quantities of lead,” the Los Angeles Times reports.


The move follows major recalls of toys, lunchboxes, children’s jewelry and other goods during the last year by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission in Washington.


The suit, to be filed in Alameda County Superior Court under California’s Proposition 65 law, would force manufacturers and retailers to adopt procedures for inspecting products to make sure they are safe. Barring that, they would be required to warn consumers that the items contained chemicals known to cause cancer or birth defects.


Mattel, the lead defendant in the lawsuit, said it welcomed the attorney general’s involvement and added that it would be helpful for the entire toy industry.


“Mattel expected this development and believes that the attorney general’s assumption of this case will be beneficial to all parties,” a spokeswoman for the El Segundo company said in a statement. “The company has been in continuous communication with the California attorney general’s office since the initiation of the recalls this summer and has cooperated fully.”


Proposition 65, a successful ballot initiative known as the Safe Drinking Water Enforcement Act of 1986, allows the state to collect civil penalties of as much as $2,500 for each of the millions of contaminated items.



Read the full L.A. Times story

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