Made in China? Danger Throw it away

[Ivan Seeking]

Made in China? Danger! Throw it away!

More gifts from the Chinese manufacturers.

... The U.S. Food and Drug Administration advised consumers to "avoid using tubes of toothpaste labeled as made in China," according to a statement posted on the agency's Web site.

"Out of an abundance of caution, FDA suggests that consumers throw away toothpaste labeled as made in China," the statement said. [continued]

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/06/28/china.tainted.food.ap/index.html?eref=rss_topstories

 

[turbo]

China is the "wild west" of manufacturing as western companies set up factories and/or set up import arrangements with entities in a country with little or no enforceable safety regulations and exploit the poor wages/benefits/work rules to make fortunes quickly. My wife was in a strip mall today and popped into a newish "dollar store" type of outlet to take a look. Her first comment to me was that almost everything in the store came from China and she's not going back.

 

[edward]

There is just so much stuff made in China it is scary. I am remodeling one of my bathrooms. My wife picked out a modest ($500) vanity with a granite top.

We got the thing home and only then did I see the made in China label on the back of the box. I started looking at other items I had purchased; a light switch, a ground fault circuit interrupter , two ceramic tile cutters and all were made in China.

The Leviton switch and GFCI were the two that really surprised me. At both Home Depot and Lowes all of the electrical items were made in China. So are most all of the tools. hells bells even the nails are made in China.:grumpy:

Sure we can get products cheaper, but don't tell me that I have a choice when everything is made in China. In a few years we won't even know how to build a factory.

As far as the food items go: First it was the dog food, then the toothpaste, then the lead in children's toys, now we hear this:

BEIJING (AP) - Chinese media are reporting that authorities have shut down 180 food factories, after inspectors found industrial chemicals in products from candy to seafood.

Authorities say formaldehyde, illegal dyes and industrial wax were used to make candy, pickles, crackers and seafood. And they discovered some factories churning out products that used recycled or expired food.

:yuck:

http://news.moneycentral.msn.com/provider/providerarticle.aspx?feed=AP&Date=20070627&ID=6960052

Sure they shut down some food factories, but most of the factories that China has shut down are here in the good old USA.

 

[JasonRox]

There is just so much stuff made in China it is scary. I am remodeling one of my bathrooms. My wife picked out a modest ($500) vanity with a granite top.

We got the thing home and only then did I see the made in China label on the back of the box. I started looking at other items I had purchased; a light switch, a ground fault circuit interrupter , two ceramic tile cutters and all were made in China.

The Leviton switch and GFCI were the two that really surprised me. At both Home Depot and Lowes all of the electrical items were made in China. So are most all of the tools. hells bells even the nails are made in China.:grumpy:

Sure we can get products cheaper, but don't tell me that I have a choice when everything is made in China. In a few years we won't even know how to build a factory.

As far as the food items go: First it was the dog food, then the toothpaste, then the lead in children's toys, now we hear this:

:yuck:

http://news.moneycentral.msn.com/provider/providerarticle.aspx?feed=AP&Date=20070627&ID=6960052

Sure they shut down some food factories, but most of the factories that China has shut down are here in the good old USA.

Another reason to eat fresh real food.

Remember, the US has it's problems too...

 

[MadScientist 1000]

As a fellow Indian, we offer you to buy from the world-famous megacorporation, India Inc. For a limited time only, we are offering discounts on all rotis, samosas, and software packages. So remember, buy from India Inc, the awesome guys

On a more serious note, the level of manufacturing in China is abysmal. Their whole quantity over quality approach has spread from their military ideology textbooks to their factories. Right now, I'm wondering whether that package of Tilapia (the best tasting fish in the entire world) sitting in the freezer is safe to eat, and whether that reddish tint in the fish is industrial dye.

 

[edward]

As a fellow Indian, we offer you to buy from the world-famous megacorporation, India Inc. For a limited time only, we are offering discounts on all rotis, samosas, and software packages. So remember, buy from India Inc, the awesome guys

On a more serious note, the level of manufacturing in China is abysmal. Their whole quantity over quality approach has spread from their military ideology textbooks to their factories. Right now, I'm wondering whether that package of Tilapia (the best tasting fish in the entire world) sitting in the freezer is safe to eat, and whether that reddish tint in the fish is industrial dye.

As far as I know most of the tilapia sold in the U.S. is grown on fish farms in this country. Ironically even some of the fish food sold to commercial growers contained the same contaminant from China that was found in the dog food.:yuck:

 

[Evo]

China To Execute Chief Food Inspector

The former head of China's food and drug administration was sentenced to death Tuesday for taking bribes to approve substandard medicines — including an antibiotic blamed for at least 10 deaths.

Seeking to address broadening concerns over food, the government also announced plans for its first recall system for unsafe products.

The developments are among the most dramatic steps Beijing has publicly taken to address domestic and international alarm over shoddy and unsafe Chinese goods — from pet food ingredients and toothpaste mixed with industrial chemicals to tainted antibiotics.

Beijing's No. 1 Intermediate People's Court convicted Zheng Xiaoyu of taking bribes in cash and gifts worth more than 6.49 million yuan ($832,000) while he was director of the State Food and Drug Administration, the official Xinhua News Agency said. Those bribes allowed eight companies to get around drug approval standards, it said.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/05/29/health/main2860989.shtml

 

[Vagrant]

There have been so many threads complianing about the quality of goods from China, but what I don't understand is why are there no import regulations in U.S., and if there are any how does all this stuff enter U.S. markets?

 

[Evo]

There have been so many threads complianing about the quality of goods from China, but what I don't understand is why are there no import regulations in U.S., and if there are any how does all this stuff enter U.S. markets?

So much is imported into the US every day that it would not be feaseable to open and chemically test even a fraction of what comes across the border. So, unless there is some suspicion about a shipment, the items are passed through without inspection.

As you can see in the attached Customs process, a company can have their product "pre-approved" by providing test results of a sample their product that they paid to have done at a lab of their choice to show that their product is in compliance. See "IMPORTERS CAN SPEED FOOD ENTRIES!" at the bottom of the document.

http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~lrd/import.html

 

[wolram]

You can buy a pallet load of cheap Chinese goods and sell them for 10 times the buy price, the stuff is junk but it sells like hot cakes.
example, a bag of 10 of each plastic knives ,spoons ,forks, buy about 5p
sell 50p.

I thought the thread was about Danger.

 

[Evo]

I thought the thread was about Danger.

:rofl: Yeah Danger's been buying a lot of cheap stuff from China and Ivan wants him to throw it away.

 

[FredGarvin]

I saw a story similar to the one Ivan posted on a couple of months ago. It was about toothpaste that was bought in dollar stores that was loaded with fluorine. If there is ever a time that brand recognition is worth the extra couple of bucks, this is it.

 

[Adder_Noir]

If this selling out of our own home grown labour keeps going then soon we will (the West) be in serious trouble. Eventually I wonder if we'll be in a market where the consumers 'answer' to the manufacturers.

God help us if a war breaks out between the West and China (I'm not saying it will) we won't know how to build anything and they'll have all the expertise at manufacturing!

As a race though I like them personally, just wish they were a bit more human rights orientated.

 

[edward]

As I mentioned previously I am remodeling a bathroom. I decided to replace the nails in the old Sheetrock with screws. I went to home depot and got some, guess where they were made?

So were the; nails, hinges, and all of the cabinet hardware. Talk about our industry going down the crapper, Home Depot is now selling toilets made in China. Oh well, we still make the toilet paper, at least for now.

 

[moose]

As I mentioned previously I am remodeling a bathroom. I decided to replace the nails in the old Sheetrock with screws. I went to home depot and got some, guess where they were made?

So were the; nails, hinges, and all of the cabinet hardware. Talk about our industry going down the crapper, Home Depot is now selling toilets made in China. Oh well, we still make the toilet paper, at least for now.

That's why... Last time I was at a home depot, I felt like it was a walmart...

I think that at Ace Hardware and Radioshack there are some things that aren't made in China... I'll check sometime.

 

[Chi Meson]

As I mentioned previously I am remodeling a bathroom. I decided to replace the nails in the old Sheetrock with screws. I went to home depot and got some, guess where they were made?

So were the; nails, hinges, and all of the cabinet hardware. Talk about our industry going down the crapper, Home Depot is now selling toilets made in China. Oh well, we still make the toilet paper, at least for now.

I'm just about finished with installing a solar water heating system, which was a wild plumbing experience itself. Nearly everything I got at Home Depot or Lowes was made in China. The copper and brass fittings available at the local hardware stores ("Ace" and "True Value" franchises) were made in USA, but it would have increased my total cost by nearly $200 if I had bought them there.

In retrospect, I'm irritated with myself for being part of the whole problem. I saved approximately 5% of the entire cost by buying Chinese fittings. That's not even figuring in the 30% (of total cast) tax credit I get from the IRS. Unfortunately, all the fittings are soldered in place, and I can't return them.

 

[turbo]

I think that at Ace Hardware and Radioshock there are some things that aren't made in China... I'll check sometime.

Check the garden tools at Ace - most likely from Taiwan. Certainly, many of the tools at the local True-Value stores come from there, and have for many years.

 

[Curious3141]

My friend cautioned me against eating some melon seeds that came from China. Apparently, these melon seeds were guaranteed to remain preserved for over 2 years. The secret sauce? Formaldehyde. :yuck:

 

[edward]

Will it ever end. I had no idea that China was this involved in our food supply.

General Mills, Kellogg, Toys “R” Us and other big American companies are increasing their scrutiny of thousands of everyday products they receive from Chinese suppliers, as widening recalls of items like toys and toothpaste force them to focus on potential hazards that were overlooked in the past.

Probably that damn Chinese wheat gluten again.

General Mills, which makes food products like Pillsbury dough and Chex cereals, is testing for potential contaminants that it did not look for previously, although it would not name the substances.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/01/b...df7d4ed3d6f38f&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

They didn't look for contaminants. :yuck::yuck:

 

[Hurkyl]

They didn't look for contaminants. :yuck::yuck:

There's another (and IMHO far more plausible) reading of that quote... :tongue:

 

[Mk]

Are some people here seriously talking about boycotting Chinese products?

 

[Hurkyl]

I don't think it counts as a boycott if it's out of concern for your safety.

 

[Chi Meson]

Are some people here seriously talking about boycotting Chinese products?

I personally believe in buying quality products. If a good product comes from China, then that should be no reason against buying it. But when the playing field becomes unfairly tilted, and choice and competition is squeezed out, and quality declines through negligence and corruption, then yes, we ought to consider alternative purchases that might even be slightly more expensive. A boycott would be near impossible, but a significant "reconsideration of purchases" would have a overall beneficial effect, I think.

One of the "Made in China" items I hate the most are the ultra cheap plastic trinkets and doo-dads that we accumulate at birthday parties for our kids. These useless "toys" that cost $1 for a dozen are filling the "goodie bags" that are given to the guests as they leave. Whatever they are (little ball-in-the-maze puzzles, bendy straws,whistles, pencils pencils goddam pencils) they never work, and become landfill waste without ever being a true product.

 

[edward]

Are some people here seriously talking about boycotting Chinese products?

We can't boycott. In most cases the Chinese product is the only one available.

 

[turbo]

My wife bought some very attractive porcelain serving dishes/trays designed for serving snacks, hors d'ourves, etc. She got a bargain price and the colorful graphics would appeal to our nieces who would like to have something "cute" to serve stuff when entertaining, so she bought a lot to give as gifts. The problem is that they were made in China and we have no way of knowing if the colorful decorations under the glaze are lead-based. Now, we don't want to give them to the kids and my wife is going to try to return them. If that fails, I may buy some lead test kits or simply throw them out and consider it an expensive lesson learned.

 

[grant9076]

I also recommend being very hesitant about drinking tea from China. Here is a paragraph from an article by NPR.

When Hubbard was at the FDA, he heard all kinds of stories about foreign food processors, like the one a staffer told him after visiting a Chinese factory that makes herbal tea.

"To speed up the drying process, they would lay the tea leaves out on a huge warehouse floor and drive trucks over them so that the exhaust would more rapidly dry the leaves out," Hubbard says. "And the problem there is that the Chinese use leaded gasoline, so they were essentially spewing the lead over all these leaves."

That lead-contaminated herbal tea would only be caught by FDA inspectors at the border if they knew to look for it, Hubbard says.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=10410111"

 

[edward]

The consumer is more or less left in the dark when it comes to lead. The EPA does allow some lead in paint for instance. Despite the fact that recent studies shown that there is no safe level for lead in infants and toddlers, the EPA allows up to 10mcg per sq cm in paint. Anything over that is considered to be lead based paint by the EPA.

I can't find any info on what they allow in tableware. That would probably be left up to the FDA. ??

When I was reading an article about the number of vitamins and food supplements that come from China, this link from 2000 came to mind.

Substantial quantities of lead have been reported in some over-the-counter calcium supplement preparations, including not only bonemeal and dolomite, but also over-the-counter natural and refined calcium carbonate formulations. Examination of this issue is warranted given recent increases in physician recommendations for calcium supplements for prevention and treatment of osteoporosis.

http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/284/11/1425

I can't seem to find a link indicating that the FDA or EPA has done anything about this.

 

[Mk]

The consumer is more or less left in the dark when it comes to lead. The EPA does allow some lead in paint for instance. Despite the fact that recent studies shown that there is no safe level for lead in infants and toddlers, the EPA allows up to 10mcg per sq cm in paint. Anything over that is considered to be lead based paint by the EPA.

I keep asking about this! There is no "safe" level for radiation, but you can hold uranium ore, or get an x-ray without worrying about it too much, simply because the risk is only cumulative.

 

[edward]

Good god, this article indicates that the FDA knew about the lead in calcium
supplements since 1983. This link is from 1993.

some calcium supplements contain lead. For children, even small amounts of this poisonous metal can be detrimental, leading to diminished IQ and stunted growth (SN: 1/27/90, p.63; 9/21/91, p.189). Indeed, more than 10 years ago the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned about the dangers of excess lead.

How can the average consumer find a lead-free calcium supplement? Right now, that's a tough task, admits FDA toxicologist Michael Bolger, who points out that the agency has no standards for lead in food supplements. However, FDA does plan to regulate the lead content of these supplements in the future, he says.

http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Calcium+supplements+and+the+danger+of+lead-a014406189

I can't even imagine the levels of lead that may be coming in calcium supplements fro China. And it appears that the EPA has done nothing.

 

[edward]

I keep asking about this! There is no "safe" level for radiation, but you can hold uranium ore, or get an x-ray without worrying about it too much, simply because the risk is only cumulative.

MK
That is pretty much the same with lead except for infants and toddlers. Edit: Infants who have milk allergies have been given calcium supplements for many years. The usual form of calcium for this is bone meal which is the worst form for lead content.

In adults small amounts of lead accumulated over a lifetime end up in the bone. At a certain age we all start to lose bone mass. It happens earlier in life for women.

When osteoporosis sets in the lead ends up back in the blood. This has only been realized in recent years. Ironically in recent years doctors have been telling women, even younger women, to take calcium supplements to ward off osteoporosis.

 

[turbo]

I can't even imagine the levels of lead that may be coming in calcium supplements fro China. And it appears that the EPA has done nothing.

If the calcium is from naturally-occuring calcium carbonate minerals, it will contain admixtures of other materials, including heavy metals. It is probably safer to consume calcium additives that have been formed as precipitates in a well-regulated production environment. "Natural" is a word that many people equate with "safe" and that's just not so. There's a lot of stuff hat occurs naturally that will kill you if breathed, drunk, or eaten. An owner of a Western Maine rock shop likes to tell of the time a customer test-drove a Geiger counter in his shop, and discovered that a stock of large smoky quartz crystals he had purchased recently were hotter than a $2 pistol.

 

[edward]

The never ending tale of "stuff" from China:

SHIJIAZHUANG, China — If you pop a vitamin C tablet in your mouth, it's a good bet it came from China. Indeed, many of the world's vitamins are now made in China.

In less than a decade, China has captured 90 percent of the U.S. market for vitamin C, driving almost everyone else out of business.

Chinese pharmaceutical companies also have taken over much of the world market in the production of antibiotics, analgesics, enzymes and primary amino acids. According to an industry group, China makes 70 percent of the world's penicillin, 50 percent of its aspirin and 35 percent of its acetaminophen (often sold under the brand name Tylenol), as well as the bulk of vitamins A, B12, C and E.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2003732744_vitamins03.html?syndication=rss

 

[Four]

What if people would be taught on to test for toxins in food by themselves. Like this the community will be part of finding toxins in foods.

The problem I can think of is that many people won't want to learn.

 

[edward]

There are so many food items coming in such great quantities from China that the FDA is looking at only high risk items. High risk means that there has already been a problem.

So instead the FDA saves its fire for the high-risk goods that have caused health problems. That's what happened in early June with Chinese-made toothpaste. Following 100 deaths in Panama linked to cough syrup containing diethylene glycol (the ingredient had been mislabeled as glycerin, which is harmless), the FDA issued an import alert on all toothpaste made in China, tested the tubes it could find for the toxin and recalled the questionable batches. "Obviously it's not possible for us to test every product that is coming into make sure it's meeting every standard we have," Acheson says. "It's got to be based on risk."

That's an efficient use of resources, but it makes the FDA a "tombstone" agency: nothing happens unless someone dies. "Consumers are the canary in the coal mine for this system," says Caroline Smith DeWaal of the Center for Science in the Public Interest. "That's not what a government program should do. It should anticipate and prevent problems."

This article from Time is a good read.

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1638436,00.html

 

[Mallignamius]

Yahoo News reported that steamed buns in Beijing include cardboard.

BEIJING - Chopped cardboard, softened with an industrial chemical and flavored with fatty pork and powdered seasoning, is a main ingredient in batches of steamed buns sold in one Beijing neighborhood, state television said.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070712/ap_on_re_as/china_cardboard_buns

This is extremely unhealthy, right? And by what the article describes, is too common for comfort.

Why can't China nail this down?