Mumbai shopkeepers say Mattels toy recall wont dent their business

Shopkeepers in Mumbai say leading toymaker Mattel Inc.s recall of Chinese-made toys wont eat into their business, even as parents get jittery over reports that the toys contain a high lead content.

Mumbai, Sept. 7 : Shopkeepers in Mumbai say leading toymaker Mattel Inc.'s recall of Chinese-made toys won't eat into their business, even as parents get jittery over reports that the toys contain a high lead content.

Mattel Inc. has recalled approximately nine million Chinese-made toys, due to the presence of "impermissible" levels of lead.

Shopkeepers said the booming toy sector was a five billion dollar industry, which could not be dented by Mattel's move to recall Chinese-made items.

"It cannot affect the toy market because it will be a five billion dollar industry five years down the line. Mattel is recalling only its products. Other items are not getting affected," said Azim Shaikh, a shopkeeper.

Mattel has recalled eight Barbie play sets and three Fisher- Price toy models.

Toys sold in India are unbranded and unlabelled. Indians are not aware of the risk these toys can cause harm to the body of a child, and buy Chinese toys because they are available at cheap rates.

Some parents, however, are aware of the dangers and have begun to discard unsafe toys.

"Earlier, we had a lot of toys. But, ever since our kids have been affected by them, we have thrown them away. There can be chemicals or any other hazardous substance in them. After we read about it in the newspapers, we discarded the toys," said Alpna Naik, a mother.

Mattel Inc. has made three recalls due in the past five weeks following concerns over the presence of excessive lead in the paint applied to these toys.

Lead is a toxic element. If ingested it can cause brain haemorrhage, anaemia, learning problems and slow growth in a human being.

ANI