Taiwan does not import China-made jewelry sold in the US that was recently found to contain cadmium, a toxic metal, but government authorities will launch inspections on the safety of similar toys sold domestically to allay public fears, the government’s inspection bureau said yesterday.
The Ministry of Economic Affairs’ Bureau of Standards, Metrology and Inspection sifted through its database to find inspection reports on overseas merchandises imported to Taiwan and found no indications that harmful toys entered the market, section chief Chen Hung-I (陳宏亦) said by telephone.
The bureau conducted searches on the Internet and found that the products were not carried by retailers in Taiwan, he said.
Walt Disney told the bureau that merchandise for its animation production The Princess and the Frog sold in Taiwan could only be produced in Taiwan.
News reports said that high levels of cadmium were detected in the movie-themed pendants.
To allay fears of toys made in China, which account for about 80 percent of toys sold in Taiwan, the inspection bureau said it would launch an investigation on similar toys available on the market to ensure they meet safety standards.
It will announce the results in due course, it said.
An Associated Press investigative report earlier this week revealed that some Chinese manufacturers had been substituting cadmium for lead in cheap charm bracelets and pendants sold in the US.
Hypermarket operator Carrefour Taiwan (家樂福) said it was difficult to determine whether the hypermarket was selling tainted toys because the news reports did not specify the manufacturers that made them nor the brands under which they are sold.
Public relations manager Dream Lin (林夢紹), however, said that toys sold at Carrefour must pass safety inspections and that the country where the items were made would be clearly labeled.
To ensure quality, Carrefour works with reliable vendors with whom it has a long-term relationship, Lin said.
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