Pet Products Made In China

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HealthyStuff.org tested over 400 pet products, including beds, chew toys, stuffed toys, collars, leashes, and tennis balls. Since there are no government standards for hazardous chemicals in pet products, it is not surprising that toxic chemicals were found.

45% of pet products tested had detectable levels of one or more hazardous chemical, including:

One-quarter of all pet products had detectable levels of lead.

7% of all pet products have lead levels greater than 300 ppm — the current CPSC lead standard for lead in children’s products.

Nearly half of pet collars had detectable levels of lead; with 27% exceeding 300 ppm — the CPSC limit for lead in children’s products.

One half (48%) of tennis balls tested had detectable levels of lead. Tennis balls intended for pets were much more likely to contain lead. Sports tennis balls contained no lead.

I guess this is one we can’t blame on the FDA, and yet… the presence of dangerous toxins in everyday items like toys — toys that might be sold for pets, but certainly don’t magically self-destruct if a child starts gnawing on them — is certainly directly related to the almost complete lack of safety regulation on products being imported into this country from places with less than stellar safety and health practices in manufacturing, hello, China.

Although of course, even children’s toys from China were recalled by Mattel for high lead levels while the 2007 pet food recall was still going on — remember this?

Think long and hard about all the “Made in China” toys and collars you buy your pets, not to mention the source of the supplements in their food and yours. The reality is, when you decide you’re never going to buy anything made in China ever again, you’d better be willing to starve your pets and yourself, and go naked, because it’s not easy.

Which seems like a good reason to relentlessly inspect and test everything we import from them, but hey, what do I know? I’m just a pet blogger.