China’s “chief safety watchdog” says that only 15% of Mattel’s recalls were due to manufacturing errors and also attempted to absolve China of responsibility for the formaldehyde-soaked children’s clothes found in New Zealand, according to Forbes:

Eighty-five percent of the roughly 20 mln toys that Mattel recalled were due to design faults, Li, the director of the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, told reporters.

Li said only 15 pct were deemed unsafe due to Chinese manufacturers using dangerous lead in the paint.

‘So I would like to pose this question: the Chinese manufacturers have their share of the responsibility, but what kind of responsibilities do the American importer and the product designer have?’ he asked.

Speaking about the formaldehyde clothes, Li said:

The tests (by the Chinese government) found that the relevant textile products passed the standards for low fire danger and formaldehyde levels,’ Li told a news conference.

He said New Zealand had informed China last week that both the design and fire resistance levels of the garments conformed to the country’s standards.

Li also insisted the bad publicity over the dangerous products was having little impact on China’s exporters.

All this bickering over who is to blame for this stuff is giving Consumerist a headache. It’s everyone’s fault. Now fix it!

China blames design for Mattel recalls [Forbes]
(Photo:Dust Storm)

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