BALTIMORE — As the holidays approach Customs and Border Protection warns consumers to be diligent while shopping for toys.
Baltimore CBP officers seized a shipment of toys recently that were coated in unsafe levels of lead, cadmium and barium. The toys were inspected on July 16 and the shipment of seven boxes arrived from China. They included 295 packages of Lagori 7 Stones, a popular children’s game in India where children throw a ball at seven stacked square “stones.” CBP got the shipment on August 24 and submitted nine samples to a lab for analysis.
Lab analysis revealed that the toys were coated in lead, cadmium and barium that exceeded safe levels for consumer products. The shipment of toys were on the way to an address in Fairfax County, Va.
“The health and safety of our nation’s children remains a priority concern for Customs and Border Protection, CPSC and all of our consumer safety partners,” said Adam Rottman, CBP’s Area Port Director for the Area Port of Baltimore. “We hope that seizures like this helps to raise consumer awareness about the very real threats posed by seemingly safe children’s toys and we urge consumers to conduct their due diligence when purchasing holiday gifts online this year.”