Apparently the real problem here...

Is draconian North American standards regarding lead, formaldehyde and insecticide content in things like, well... you know, childrens toys.

-- BEIJING -- China strongly defended the quality of its exports Monday, saying some problems were a result of varying global product standards and that a mass recall of toys was largely a result of faulty U.S. designs not Chinese workmanship.

Yeah, I can just see the guys who designed Thomas the Tank Engine saying, "Hey, why don't we save a few bucks here and use that inexpensive lead paint instead?"

But continuing discoveries of high levels of chemicals and toxins in Chinese goods — from toothpaste and clothes to fish and juice — have made salvaging its reputation an uphill task.

**********

RELATED: Of course, it's not just North America

Technorati Tags: lead paint, diethylene glycol, insecticide