Lead-contaminated children's shoes seized

US: Lead-contaminated children's shoes seized

By Katie Smith | 8 June 2012

A shipment of children’s shoes from China containing three times the legal limit of lead has been seized by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers and Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) investigators.

The consignment, worth more than US$23,000, was destined for a distributor in the Seattle area.

Laboratory analysis found the shoes contained 300 parts per million (ppm) of lead, whereas the acceptable level is just 100 ppm.

"One of CBP's missions is keeping a wide variety of harmful products from reaching the American marketplace," said US Customs and Border Protection Area Port Director Mark Wilkerson. "Lead-contaminated children's footwear is one such product."

The shoes will be destroyed.

Sectors: Footwear, Social & environmental responsibility, Sourcing