Don't Lick Elmo!
- by: Consumers Union
- recipient: U.S. Congress
Is Elmo hazardous to your health?
One million character toys—including Big Bird, Dora the Explorer, and Cookie Monster—were recalled in August because they might be coated in toxic lead paint, a poisonous substance that can cause learning disabilities, seizures and even death when ingested.
Before Elmo and Dora, it was hazardous pet food, seafood and toothpaste. What’s next?
This recall was the 26th toy recall THIS year—all toys produced in China. We need to ensure food and products that cross our borders are safe for our families and us.
It is not enough to recall the toxic food and products that are already in our children’s hands, we need to prevent them from ever being sold.
Tell Congress we need to make sure food and products that cross our borders are safe today!
Subject Line: Protect Us From Unsafe Imports!
Dear Representative [Last Name]:
I want to know that the food and products I use and eat are safe. After-the-fact recalls are too little and too late.
I urge you to increase the resources to the federal agencies charged with policing the safety of the nation's products and food supply. They need to conduct more inspections and they need the power to levy meaningful civil penalties for safety violations.
But this is not enough.
The producers, importers, distributors and retailers need to be held accountable for the products they import and profit from in the United States. Please consider requiring pre-shipment inspections and testing, and creating a certification and traceability program for food, products and their components. And please give the government agencies clear recall authority for contaminated food.
These changes would go a long way in preventing unsafe products in our market and make it easier to alert consumers when a hazard is detected. Safety should not be an option, but a necessity!
Last year there were 467 recalls resulting in millions of products being pulled off the shelves and that is not even including food product recalls! Chinese-made products accounted for 60 percent of the consumer-product recalls. This year all of the recalled toys were produced in China.
This is too many, and too often. Clearly the current system isn't working, and we need you to bring real change to keep our families safe.
[Your Comments]
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Your Address]
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