A large shipment of children’s halloween costumes from China were seized by Feds due to lead contamination.
Customs officials recently seized approximately 1,400 kids’ costumes that reportedly contained lead. The garments were made in China and the buttons were said to contain more than 10 times the legal limit of lead.
The shipment was originally going to a distributor in Seattle. Consumer Product Safety Investigators along with Border Protection Officers already had their eye on these costumes because the manufacturer in China did not have a good reputation.
All of the lead-contaminated costumes, valued at roughly $10,000 will be destroyed. A safety investigator states “You go home at the end of the week knowing you made a difference, made an impact and kept some child from getting sick.”.
Earlier this year, another Halloween related item was reported to contain lead paint. Nearly 7,000 Captain Cutlass Toy Pirate Pistols contained excessive levels of lead and they were sold in Halloween stores from April 2008 through May 2012. Although no injuries were reported, the manufacturer announced a major recall.