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Yes. How many more product recalls will it take to finally sink in? It started with 60 million packages of pet food sold under 150 brand names being recalled. Someone in China put melamine, which is unfit for human or animal consumption, into a protein product used in the pet food to make it appear more valuable.

Next on the list was toothpaste, marketed under the brand name Mr. Cool', with glycerin in it. Glycerin is a form of glycol which is a component of antifreeze. Then when asked about the toothpaste with antifreeze in it, Chinese officials said, "As we understand it, you are not supposed to swallow toothpaste." Wonderful response, huh?

Then the numerous toy recalls because of lead paint being used. Christmas isn't that far away and how many toys will you be able to find that are not made in China? Will you feel confident your child or grandchild or nephew or niece is going to still be healthy by New Year's Day if they chew on one of the toys they received for Christmas?

According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Chinese products make up 60 percent of all the recalls issued in the U.S. Here are just a few of the other, less publicized items. Farm-raised fish and shrimp found to contain carcinogens; automobile tires found to lack a safety feature that prevents tread separation; jewelry containing potential poison chemicals, including lead; prunes tinted with chemical dyes for appearance sake; dried apples preserved with a cancer-causing chemical; mushrooms laced with illegal pesticides; used chopsticks; juice with unsafe color additives; diapers containing fungus. The list goes on and on and will continue to grow until the U.S. government limits or prohibits the unsafe imports coming from China.

Learn more about this author, Joseph Reinhart.
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