Most of Mattel's China recalls due to faulty design

It seems that lead contamination is being used to deflect news that 80% of the toys Mattel recalled worldwide were due to super strong magnets falling out and becoming a choking hazard. It did seem surprising that Mattel vice president, Thomas Debrowski apologised to Chinese official Li Changjiang for having faulty designs.

Mattel takes full responsibility for these recalls and apologises personally to you, the Chinese people and all of our customers who received the toys. It is important for everyone to understand that the vast majority of these products that we recalled were the result of a flaw in Mattel's design, not through a manufacturing flaw in Chinese manufacturers.

For months, Mattel has blamed rogue Chinese subcontractors for endangering American children by violating Mattel's strict safety standards in pursuit of profit. The truth revealed hiding in plain sight by Debrowski's apology is slightly more complex.

Time best explains the discrepancy between Debrowski's apology and Mattel's public position:

Of the 19.6 million toys that [Mattel] has recalled this year globally, 2.2 million were due to lead paint; the remaining 17.4 million (11.7 million in the U.S.) were toys recalled not because of lead paint but because they were made with super-strong magnets.

The United States bans the use of lead in children's toys. Lead contamination can be rightly and exclusively traced to foreign subcontractors. Small magnets, however, which can kill children if ingested, are the result of shoddy designs.

Mattel is scapegoating China to cover themselves. Shameful.