Fake Wine a Problem in China

Apparently Chinese consumers aren't also spared with the rash of unsafe products coming from their country. McClatchy has this story about the proliferation of bootleg, watered down and falsely labeled wines.

The report even cited an example of watered grape juice being sold as wine. Now that's something nobody can just swirl and spit.

Lamps Recalled in UK

UK safety officials have recalled a type of China-made lamps, which could cause electrocution. The lamps are easily disassembled which exposed live wiring. They also carry non-standard fuses and the British Standard 3-pin plugs.

Kids' watering cans

About 6,000 children's watering cans are being recalled because the paint on the beak of the can contains lead. The cans were sold at Jo-Ann Fabric and Crafts stores nationwide.

Consumers should return the item to Jo-Ann Fabric and Crafts for a refund. For more details, call 1-888-739-4120, ext. 7, or go to www.joann.com or www.cpsc.gov.

China-made Boots Recalled

Wolverine World Wide, maker of Caterpillar logger boots, have recalled steel-toed boots that were made in China. The boots, numbering around 9,500, were incorrectly labeled as electric resistant, thus carrying a risk of electric shock to its users.

The boots were sold around the United States in women's and men's sizes between September 2006 and July 2007, for between $90 and $130 a pair.

Another Day, Another Recall: Sponge Bob this time

Ohio importer Martin Designs Inc. is recalling made in China Sponge Bob address books and journals that were found to contain dangerous levels of lead in their springs.

The products - with UPC codes printed on the back cover 80773007505 (address book) and 80773002260, 80773075501 and 80773007551 (journals) - were sold in stores from June 2006 through July 2007.

Lead, if ingested in large amounts, may cause brain damage in children.

Consumers should dispose of the product and return the UPC code for a full refund to Martin Designs, Attention: Product Recall, 605 Westlake Dr., Ashland OH 44805.

For more information, consumers can call the company at 1-866-898-0261 or visit its Web site http://www.martindesigns-ltd.com or the CPSC's Web site http://www.cpsc.gov.

Nokia's Battery Problem

Nokia recently recalled millions of cellphone batteries due to overheating problems. The batteries - 46 million in all - were made by Matsushita in China.

The lithium ion batteries were made in a Matsushita facility in Zhuhai, China, and are used for more than 50 models of Nokia mobile phone mobiles, from the most basic 1100 model to the most advanced N91 model, between December 2005 and November 2006.

The Finnish phone manufacturer will replace the batteries at no cost.

Nokia's product advisory

Yet Another Failed Crash Test

The China-made Chery Amulet failing its crash test. The Amulet is for the Russian market, sold for $9000 apiece.

By the way, Chery has started selling cheap cars in the Philippines for about 390 thousand pesos each (about $8,600).

Via Gizmodo

Recalled Toys

Mattel has recalled 19 million toys so far. Affected products include the following:

Lead in paint:

• Fisher-Price
• Cars Sarge character

Magnets

• Polly Pocket
• Batman Magna play sets
• Barbie and Tanner accessory
• Doggie Daycare
• Shonen Jump's One Piece
  

Mattel site for recalled toys: http://www.mattel.com/safety/us/

Chinese Car Fails Crash test

The new China-made 2007 Brilliance BS6 (made under the name of Zhonghua) fails its crash test. The test was conducted by the European testing agency, and the car was crashed against a deformable object at 40 mph.

The car got a one-star rating because of the test.

Cardboard Steamed Buns

The Chinese government may say otherwise, but i daresay the original report was true.

Dog Treats with Melamine

Wal-Mart has stopped selling two Chinese brands of dog treats in its stores after tests revealed that the pet food contains traces of melamine - a chemical used in making plastics.

The products are Chicken Jerky Strips from Import-Pingyang Pet Product Co. and Chicken Jerky from Shanghai Bestro Trading (with UPC number 0087784900006 and item number 839751).

Earlier this year the US recalled 150 brands of pet food after inspectors discovered that the wheat gluten used to manufacture them contains melamine.


Wal-Mart Stores Inc.: http://www.walmartfacts.com

Blankets with Formaldehyde

Australia and New Zealand are recalling blankets that are made in China, according to this report. The blankets - the Superlux brand variety - are sold by Australian-based Charles Parson and are found to contain high levels of formaldehyde, a chemical used for embalming corpses. This follows a report that the New Zealand government has found the same chemical in Chinese-made woolen and cotton clothes.

Dirty Chopsticks

A Beijing factory was reported to have sold recycled disposable bamboo chopsticks. The dirty chopsticks were re-sold and repackaged without any form of disinfection.

The owner was able to sell about half a million pairs of recycled chopsticks, selling them 0.04 yuan a pair.

The factory that sold the dirty chopsticks was raided by the police and arrested its owner.

Reported today here.

Welcome to Unmade in China

This blog chronicles the unending series of news about the shoddy and potentially dangerous products made in China, as a sort of warning to the unsuspecting public about them.