Absolutely. I believe that there has been terribly little oversight on the safety or quality of the boom in goods from China. My experience with Chinese manufactured goods recently has been poor. Of course, most of any type of consumer good seems to be Chinese at this time. I am beginning to change my buying habits when possible.

Absolutely! Maybe this will serve as the divorce point from which we will find more ethical places to get better quality standards at a slightly higher cost.
It's so worth it.
Keep in mind the Chinese Government POURS an obscene
amount of it's wealth straight into it's rapidly expanding Military Machine.
It's got conquest on it's mind and we fund it with nearly every purchase we make...

YES- THE ANSWER TO THIS QUESTION IS "WALMART".
LOW PRICES ALWAYS- AT THE IGNORANT CONSUMERS EXPENSE.
WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO: WE BUY AMERICAN?

Of course, I think almost anyone would be concerned about safety, and for a variety of reasons. The most important of which is why haven't the US companies that have contracted with the Chinese companies done any quality control on their own? It is their responsibility both from a product quality point of view and a safty point of view.

And keep in mind that it's not so long ago that US and European companies got away with whatever they could. If you don't think so, do some research to see how long it took to get lead band in the US. In any case, there also seems to be a lack of awareness on the part of people in the US as to how cheaply these products are made. It's important to realize that our standard of living is based on very cheap labor.

Were it not for all of the products being made by cheap overseas labor, most people in the US would not be able to aford to buy so many "toys". If companies had to pay real wages to people who were other than groveling for an existance, our "life style" would look closer to life in the 1930's... enjoy the cheap ride, because quality is going to cost you money... and if you care about the workers that make your toys, that will cost you even more more money. As for China, sure, have them take responsibilty, at least as much responsibility as the US companies are made to take.

For the past 13 years the only vinyl products from China, Mexico, Taiwan, etc. that I purchase are the ones I have tested with a Lead Check swab from Home Depot. Of the over 100 products I've tested, about 90% contain a high amount of leachable lead. Some products I verified through an independent lab. Each & every time I reported the item--countless toys, backpacks, lunch boxes, binders, vinyl recliners, women's shoes, Homedics chair back massager, etc. to all the appropriate agencies, manufacturers, stores, CPSC, etc. With the exception of the lunch box I discovered about 5 years ago, nothing has ever been done. Even in the state of California, a Prop 65 warning is only issued after a legal settlement & then its placement is dependent on what is negotiated. So the warning is basically useless for the average consumer. Ten years ago I discovered that the rain slicker I purchased from Target contained a very high amount of leachable lead. So I returned it with the red streak still on it so they could see the result. The next week I saw the exact slicker back on the shelf with the red streak on it. I called Target's corporate office & basically they wouldn't & couldn't do anything.

Last week I wanted to see if things have gotten better than 6 years ago when I tested 16 backpacks until I found a 17th that was safe for my son to use. So I went to Target with Lead Check swabs & things have improved slightly. I tested 6 backpacks & only 2 contained a high amount of leachable lead--a Disney "High School Musical" backpack & a "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" backpack. I was hoping with the current media attention, someone would care, but the CPSC doesn't seem particularly interested, the attorney general's office in CA is not interested, etc. etc. Same old story I've been dealing with for years. My advice to any consumer considering buying products from China, Mexico, Taiwan, etc. is to buy some Lead Check swabs & start testing--particularly vinyl & soft plastic.

I think the basic problem is that we import goods that do not have to adhere to the same laws and standards required for goods produced in the US. These requirements address labor, safety (including food safety, lead in paint, etc), quality and the environment. Eliminating the import of goods that do not meet equivalent requirements would (1) solve the problems we’ve seen recently with Chinese goods, (2) improve the working conditions and environment for those producing the goods that we import, and (3) level the playing field for US producers. There is no need to single out China – all imports should meet the same standards. Of course, the downside is that US consumers would pay more, but we can’t have it both ways.

I'm Looloo from BeiJing,I absolutely concern about the safety of Chinese product like everyone does.
I'm just curious that is that hard to "avoid" Chinese product?
I only had the experience that I wanted to buy some gifts for my friends when I travelled in Australia,but almost 90% of the souvenir are made in China!it always kind of embarrasse to give them to my friends although we actually can not find it in China!

I am very concerned. I always have been-even before this current safety scare. I have always felt the large % of imports have been devastating to our manufacturing base and has contributed to WalMart's over-reaching machine. Let's take this opportunity to step away from China's imports.

This sort of thing is not happening in the EU, because the EU doesn't let the products in the country. They enforce their laws for consumer protection, worker protection, elderly protection, child protection- and public safety in general.
The common reaction here in the USA is to blame China. Why not blame God?
It seems that we have this tendency to believe to solution to our problem lies - out there. Our war on drugs is a good example of this mind-think. We bomb the coca fields in Bolivia, and don't enforce the entry at the border, nor the interior enforcement. Same with our war on terror - we send our military abroad to beat up on 3rd rate nations, while our home defenses are lax.

Yes I am, we need to get back to the buy American

Yes we need to abandon them but as long as we want cheap.. chinese will rule .

Maria
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I'd be a fool not to, what with all the examples we've had of goods that have been either intentionally adulterated for profit motives or unintentionally from lack of proper oversight.