Mattel Fined $2.3 Million For Excessive Lead Paint

On June 5, federal officials said that Mattel and its subsidiary Fisher-Price have been fined $2.3 million for violation of the federal lead paint ban, which is for the purpose of preventing possible personal injury due to excessive levels of lead paint.

The fine is the highest amount the manufacturer of a product regulated by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has ever been penalized.

According to staff members from the CPSC, the companies knowingly imported and sold children’s toys that contained paints and other surface coatings that had lead levels in excess of the limit established by the 30-year-old federal law. Since 1978, it has been illegal for toys and other children’s products to have a lead content in paints or other surface coatings that exceeds 0.06 percent. In 2007, approximately 95 types of toys produced by Mattel and Fisher Price were found in excess of the limit, most of which were manufactured in China.

According to CPSC staffers, up to 900,000 toys not in compliance with the rules were imported by Mattel between September 2006 and August 2007. As many as 1.1 million were imported by Fisher-Price between July 2006 and August 2007.

The two companies agreed to the settlement, but continue to deny knowingly breaking the law.