Yet a recent study by Canadian professors found that while lead paint is a growing problem with Chinese toy suppliers, the vast majority of US toy recalls are caused by the toy maker's own design flaws.
But after the spate of recalls, US toy makers and other companies are saying the Chinese suppliers had violated their contracts.
Many Chinese business executives in turn complain about the enormous pressures that Western companies place on suppliers to continually lower costs, which they say inevitably leads desperate or greedy business people to cheat in a country with poor regulations.
As worrisome, some experts say the high levels of lead being found in toys is most likely not a new phenomenon.
"I think it's probably been there for a while and we're just becoming aware of it," Weidenhamer said.
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