WASHINGTON — Testifying to a Congressional panel, Mattel Inc. Chief Executive Robert Eckert said Wednesday that the toy company had upgraded its methods to keep toys safe from excess lead and pointed to overseas contractors as the source of problems that triggered recent recalls affecting more than 20 million toys.
"We were let down, and we let you down," Eckert told the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government. "We are doing everything we can to prevent this from happening again."
At the hearing, the head of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said Chinese regulators had agreed to stop exports to the U.S. of all toys containing lead.
But lawmakers expressed skepticism about Chinese declarations, and a consumer advocate maintained that stricter enforcement policies were necessary to protect children.
Concerns over toy safety have soared recently amid three Mattel recalls of Chinese-made toys believed to have excessive levels of lead paint and other problems. The recalls involved certain accessories for Barbie dolls and certain products sold under the Fisher-Price brand, such as a "It's a Big Big World" bongo band set, and certain GeoTrax locomotive toys.
Mattel also has recalled certain toys featuring preschool characters, including Dora the Explorer, Big Bird and Elmo.
The flurry of recalls has prompted a political outcry along with scrutiny of Mattel's safety oversight procedures and questions about the effectiveness of U.S. regulators.
Lawmakers said weak regulation, caused in part by a sharp reduction in the size of the Consumer Product Safety Commission, was an important factor that allowed foreign suppliers to make products of inferior quality.
"The events of the last four months have shown us the dangers lax authority and limited resources pose to our children," said Sen. Richard Durbin (D-Ill.), chairman of the Senate subcommittee. "We're here today to address the problem."
In his testimony, Eckert said El Segundo-based Mattel was buttressing its safety checks by ensuring from now on that all paint used by its producers was purchased from a certified supplier and retested before its use, as well as requiring further testing of finished products and increased use of unannounced inspections.
He also said vendors and subcontractors would be expected to store Mattel products separately from those of other companies.
