CONSUMER ALERT: THE DIVISION OF CONSUMER PROTECTION WARNS CONSUMERS ABOUT HIGH LEVELS OF LEAD FOUND IN THE SUPER CAR RACING CAR SET

 

Lab Testing Shows the Super Car Racing Car Set Exceeds Federal Lead Safety Standards and Can Harm Children

DCP Calls upon the Consumer Product Safety Commission to Act to Remove the Toy from Store Shelves Around the Country

 The New York State Division of Consumer Protection (DCP) today announced lab findings showing one out of nine toys, selected randomly and tested for toxic substances, failed the federal children’s product safety standard protocols for lead. The Super Car Racing Car set was found to have a lead level in excess of the 100 parts per million or ppm standard.

Upon receipt of the testing results, DCP contacted the federal Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), calling upon the CPSC to further investigate and work to remove this toy from shelves around the country. DCP also sent letters to Cosmos at the Colonie Center mall in Albany, NY, the retailer, and to Cathay Depot Inc., who both manufactures and imports this toy produced in China, to review the lab findings and to remove the Super Car Racing Car set from the market.

“Many holiday traditions include gifting fun, safe toys to the delight of children across New York State,” said Acting Secretary of State Robert J. Rodriguez. “When gifting toys to children, safety is the number one priority. The Division of Consumer Protection urges any retailers selling the Super Car Racing Car set to immediately pull these items from the shelves before they harm children.”  

As part of its responsibilities, DCP conducts product research and testing and enforces New York’s Children’s Product Safety and Recall Effectiveness Act. Recent product testing results indicated the black undercarriage of each of the eight toy cars in the Super Car Racing set contained 140ppm of lead.

Lead is a harmful metal that can cause serious health problems. Lead is especially dangerous for children and pregnant women, but it can harm anyone. Ingesting lead or handling lead or lead dust and then touching the mouth may lead to lead exposure. Lead can get in your body by touching a product, surface or soil that has lead or is covered with lead dust, then putting your hands in your mouth. It can also get in your body if you eat, swallow, or mouth a product that has lead. Medical researchers have found that lead exposure can trigger learning disabilities and behavior problems in children.

The Super Car Racing Car set may be disposed of by throwing it away, or consumers may wish to set it aside in a safe place and await possible future recall instructions, which may or may not include a refund component.

Hazards in children’s products are often latent and unfortunately not known until someone is hurt. Accordingly, the DCP urges consumers to follow simple safety tips when shopping to best ensure the toys purchased are safe for children:

• Always purchase age-appropriate toys.
• Read labels carefully and take note of all warnings.
• Keep toys in good condition and dispose of broken toys or repair them right away.
• Make sure any fabric toys are labeled as flame-resistant or flame-retardant. 

The New York State Division of Consumer Protection serves to educate, assist, and empower the State’s consumers. Consumers who identify a recalled product in the marketplace, or require more information about toy safety and recalls, are urged to call the Consumer Assistance Hotline: 1-800-697-1220 from Monday through Friday, 8:30am-4:30pm. Consumer complaints can be filed anytime online at the Division website, https://dos.ny.gov/file-consumer-complaint.  Follow the Division on Twitter at @NYSConsumer or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/nysconsumer.