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600 bikes coated in excessive levels of harmful lead paint seized in Baltimore by CBP

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Posted at 6:32 PM, Jan 08, 2021
and last updated 2021-01-08 18:32:12-05

BALTIMORE — U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission seized nearly 600 girl’s bicycles in Baltimore recently that were coated in excessive levels of harmful lead paint.

CBP officers and a CPSC investigator initially examined the shipment of 598 Dripe-X brand girl’s bicycles from China on September 21. The CPSC investigator took samples for testing on September 30 and requested that CBP officers detain the shipment.

Those tests results returned on December 1 and indicated that the bicycles were coated in excessive levels of lead paint.

On December 29, the CPSC investigator requested that CBP officers seize the shipment for violating the Federal Hazardous Substances Act.

The 598 bicycles were destined to an address in San Bernardino County, California, and appraised for nearly $84,000.

“Customs and Border Protection and our consumer safety partners take very serious our mission of protecting our nation’s citizens against potentially dangerous imports, particularly products that may be especially harmful to our most vulnerable – our children,” said Keith Fleming, CBP’s Acting Director of Field Operations in Baltimore.

Consumers may visit SaferProducts.gov or call CPSC’s toll-free hotline at (800) 638-2772 to learn if a potential purchase may be unsafe. Consumers can also report dangerous products and learn about product recall information on that same website.