(Please FReepmail me if you would like to be on or off of the list.)
Posted on 12/14/2007 8:26:05 PM PST by JACKRUSSELL
It is one of the most popular toys on children's wish lists this holiday season, but independent laboratory tests show the "CSI: Crime Scene InvestigationT Fingerprint Examination Kit" contains asbestos.
The Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO) and Public Justice, a Washington, D.C. public-interest law firm, are demanding that companies involved in the distribution of the toy protect children and other customers from exposure to the substance, which has been linked to fatal lung cancer and other serious diseases. The toy is made in China.
In a letter to CBS, the toy's licensor; Planet Toys of New York City, the toy's distributor; and retailers selling the product, Public Justice Executive Director Arthur Bryant said ADAO, a California-based victims' advocacy group, wants a meeting "as quickly as possible" to discuss how the companies are going to protect children and other consumers from exposure to asbestos-contaminated toy fingerprint powder in the kit.
The letter raises the possibility of an immediate recall, refunds for customers, and a plan for the safe disposal of the asbestos-tainted powder.
"It is simply unacceptable to have asbestos in toys," said Linda Reinstein, ADAO's Executive Director and Co-Founder. "Prevention is the only cure."
ADAO commissioned independent, government-certified laboratories to examine various consumer products, including the popular CSI kit, and in late November, the organization reported that tests had detected tremolite - a deadly form of asbestos - in some of the finely ground powders in the kit. The toy kits are licensed by CBS - the network that airs the popular "CSI" series - but they are manufactured in China, where safety standards are lax.
Despite publicity about the findings, Public Justice noted that the toys are still widely available to consumers, much to ADAO's dismay.
"Potentially millions of households, and especially children, have been exposed to the fingerprint powder," wrote Bryant. "And because the product is already in powder form - and intended to be blown or dusted away by children searching for fingerprints - any asbestos contaminant is almost certain to be inhaled and widely disseminated."
The dangers of asbestos exposure have been well documented by scientists, doctors and environmentalists. The tiny fibers are easily inhaled and when drawn into the lungs, they cannot be coughed up or surgically removed.
The letter says the problem can be solved without litigation, but that "ADAO will be forced to take alternative steps" if the addressees do not respond immediately.
"Immediate action is needed to prevent further potential exposure to a deadly toxin," Bryant wrote. "We are eager to work with you to avoid disaster, but we must act quickly."
Duncan Hunter has been all over the free trade with China issue for a long time while all the other candidates remain silent. Hunter for President!!!!
Shocked! I'm SHOCKED, I tell you!!!
Gotta love things made in China.
Like the boots I’m wearing right now because I didn’t even notice the tag that said “Made In China.” I have Adidas boots on the way, even though they’re imported from Germany.
At least their GSG-9 use the boots.
Now they've blown the whole secrete.
CBS ...if thier news reporting doesn’t make you sick...
this CBS toy will do that and kill you.
long day
Oh, goody. Tremolite is one of the more hazardous forms of asbestos. That said, it would be nice to know the concentration. An air sample taken from any sidewalk in a city contains some concentration, however minuscule.
YES!!!!
Only look like trmolites... is really cremated political prisoners that died of natural causes.
Is there ANYTHING that we get from China that's not tainted with something that will kill our kids. Or us, for that matter! That bunch of globalists are 100% to blame for this. They should be hanged!!
Bastards.
There’s no way I believe that asbestos is a necessary ingredient in toy fingerprinting powder.
Ah, asbestos. One of the best artificial crises before global warming came along.
No sense tempering a story with any real science. Nevermind that exposure needs be about that of a 20 year asbestos miner to develop asbestosis.
Nah... Let’s just spend billions stripping completely harmless forms of asbestos from buildings and products.
Yeah. That’s the ticket.
Asbestos is as harmful as DDT, second hand smoke, and small amounts of lead, meaning zero. It is all background music for outrageous lawsuits.
Hopefully the boots will be as good as their cars.
I used to buy some “Made In China" deck shoes for work in "size blue".
They came in white, black, and blue & that was the color of our uniforms.
Why size blue, you ask?
Because, though ALL were labeled 'size 10', consistently the white ones fell off my feet; black ones were too small, and blue was a perfect fit!
Same style, company, etc, but three different 'size 10' "standards".
ROTFLMAO!
That gets this week's Best Friday Post Rotten Apple Award!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.