Dozens
of members of Congress have sent a letter to the chief executive of Mattel,
accusing the company of not living up to its promise to keep lead-tainted toys
out of children’s hands.
According
to the New York Times [1],
the letter was prompted by Mattel’s decision not to issue a nationwide recall
of a blood-pressure cuff in a toy medical kit sold under the Fisher-Price
brand. The legislators said they were disturbed by the company’s “lack of
action.” Lead was found in a plastic part of the toy, and current federal laws
ban lead only in paint on toys. Lawmakers are considering a law to limit lead
in all material in toys.
The
letter, signed by 56 members of Congress, quoted Mattel’s chief executive,
Robert A. Eckert, as saying in September that the company “will do the right
thing.”
“We
challenge you to live up to your words,” it said, “and set a standard for the
entire industry by completely eliminating the use of lead in all the children’s
products manufactured by Mattel.”