The Consumer Product Safety Commission thinks it’s OK for Mattel to use its own facilities for mandated “third party” tests to make sure the toys aren’t contaminated with lead or other stuff that’s not so good for human beings, the AP reports.

The move marks a trend of the once recall-plagued company getting sweetheart deals from the commish.

From the AP story:

Consumer advocate Don Mays expressed concern about letting companies do their own testing.

“It’s a little bit like the fox guarding the henhouse,” said Mays, senior director of product safety at Consumers Union, publisher of Consumer Reports. “There is the potential for conflict of interest.”

Toy buyers, will this affect your opinion about the safety of Mattel’s toys?

Mattel gets pass on independent toy safety checks [AP]
(Thanks, TZ!)

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