CADMIUM : Factory pollution in China leads to 2 deaths + 509 people intoxicated

Early august, 2 people died and 509 have been intoxicated following a leak of CADMIUM in Xianghe Chemical Factory, a Zinc Sulfate factory in the Hunan province (Central China).

Cadmium, a heavy metal, is forbidden to be used for manufacturing toys for children.

CHINA : Nothing new...

China remains the factory of the world as we look at the statistics of recalled products originating country for all 2008 european recalls.  

CHINA : Average wage is rising each year

The average monthly salary is around $250/month, up from $50/month in 1995.

INDIA / CHINA : A toys war !

JANUARY 23rd 2009 - 

With effect from Jan 23, the Indian government imposed a ban on Chinese toys for a period of six months. The Indian government has said the ban on toys was implemented on the grounds of 'public health and safety'. But some Indian analysts have suggested the move was aimed at shielding India's struggling toy industry against a flood of Chinese imports.

MARCH 2nd 2009 - 

With immediate effect, India lifted the ban on importing toys from China provided they conform to international safety norms prescribed in "ASTM F963" or "ISO 8124 (parts I - III) or IS 9873 (parts I - III)". 

Snow storms = Late deliveries ?

The heavy snowfall and freezing temperatures across China for the past week have ravaged power supplies and hit millions of people trying to get home for the Lunar New Year festival, the nation's most important holiday, but it also disrupted many factories production schedule (among all industries), which could lead to late pre-Chinese new year deliveries.

For example, the fierce snow storms in China have disrupted Japanese automakers' production at their joint venture factories there owing to a lack of sufficient parts and workers.

• Toyota Motor Corp. stopped the night shift at a joint venture factory in Guangzhou due to delayed arrival of parts.
  
• Honda Motor Co., which shut its joint venture factory in Guangzhou on Tuesday and another one in Hubei on Wednesday because paint did not arrive on time.
• Nissan Motor Co. also closed its joint venture factories in Guangdong and Hubei provinces on Monday and Tuesday.Mazda Motor Corp. meanwhile shut its joint venture factory in Nanjing for three days from Monday as the city gave priority for natural gas supplies to homes, discouraging industrial use.

"We were hearing that some workers were unable to come to work because of heavy snow. We are continuing to review the situation," she said.

China Toy Exports +20% In 1st 10 Mos Of 2007 -Report

China saw an increase in toy exports for the first 10 months of 2007, state media said Sunday, despite global recalls of millions of Chinese-made toys over lead paint and design flaws. The exports worth US$7.07 billion between January and October represent a 20.1% increase from the same period in 2006, the official Xinhua News Agency said.

The Xinhua report did not give the number of toys exported during the 10-month period. But the government has said that China, the world's largest toy manufacturer, exported 22 billion toys in 2006, about 60% of the world's total.

The top two markets remained the E.U. and the U.S., which bought 67.6% of China's total toy exports between January and October, Xinhua said.