Mattel recalls over 18m toys

Mattel has recalled a line of toy vehicles called Sarge that were found to contain impermissible levels of lead.

The recalled vehicles include 436,000 total toys, including 253,000 in the U.S. and 183,000 outside of the U.S.

The recall of the Sarge toy follows the recall of select Fisher-Price toys on August 1, 2007. The toy was produced by one of Mattel's contract manufacturing facilities in China.

Additionally, Mattel announced the recall of magnetic toys that may release small, powerful magnets. The recall expands upon Mattel's recall of eight toys in November 2006 and is based on a internal review of all Mattel's brands. Mattel is recalling 18.2m magnetic toys globally (9.5m in the US).

Jim Walter, senior vice president of Worldwide Quality Assurance, Mattel, said: "We have immediately implemented a strengthened three-point check system: First, we're requiring that only paint from certified suppliers be used and requiring every single batch of paint at every single vendor to be tested. If it doesn't pass, it doesn't get used. Second, we are tightening controls throughout the production process at vendor facilities and increasing unannounced random inspections. Third, we're testing every production run of finished toys to ensure compliance before they reach our customers. We've met with vendors to ensure they understand our tightened procedures and our absolute requirement of strict adherence to them.”