Toxic toys, now with 700 times more lead, and coffee with flame retardant

"The Star shopped at 18 retailers in the GTA and found lead in about one in every four [children's] products purchased."
A pacifier.
A Disney bracelet testing at 445 times the legal limit on lead in jewellery marketed to children.
A child's jewelry clasp at 700 times the federal limit.

Wait. A pacifier? We still permit lead in pacifiers?

"Since 2002, Health Canada has proposed that it be made illegal to sell a pacifier with more than 90 parts per million lead. But there is still no law banning lead in pacifiers.
Meanwhile, the Star found a pacifier at Everything For a Dollar on Warden Ave. that tested at more than 10 times the proposed limit."

Apparently Health Canada may issue "recall notices", but "a recall notice does not allow the government to actually demand a recall of dangerous items", leaving "retailers to police themselves".

Liberal MP Paul Szabo :"The system doesn't work. Imports from China are a disaster."

In reference to the proposed pacifier law, "Health Minister Clement told the Star he would consider adding such a measure to any law he proposes, should he be re-elected Oct. 14."

I guess this falls into the category of "lazy fare" economics.
Stop buying crap, people.

Note : Would also be wise to avoid foods containing flame retardant :
"Mr. Brown 3-in-1 Instant Coffee products distributed in British Columbia, Alberta and Manitoba, however, revealed melamine levels three times as high as those that made the Chinese children ill."
M&M's milk chocolate snack and Snickers peanut Fun Size were withdrawn in Korea after testing for melamine, although Mars and Nestle's both declared them "absolutely safe by recognized international standards."

We have standards. Yes we do. And they're flame-retardant too.

Cross-posted at Creekside