AUSTRALIA’S peak consumer body is reviewing safety measures for children’s toys after Mattel yesterday ordered its second mass recall in a fortnight, part of a global recall of more than 18.6million Chinese-made toys.

Retailers have taken the 460,000 toys, which include Batman, Barbie and Polly Pocket products, off their shelves after it was found that magnets in the products could come loose and be swallowed by young children, causing intestinal damage.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission said yesterday it was now reviewing toy standards to determine if they were stringent enough.

ACCC chairman Graeme Samuel said last night he remained “concerned and bewildered” by the magnitude of the product recall. While he welcomed the steps taken by Mattel, he said it was worrying that the company was allowed to produce unsafe products for five years.

The recall is a major embarassment for the toy giant, coming just two weeks after it was forced to pull 40,000 toys in Australia that had been painted in China with lead-based toxic paint.

Mattel’s corporate division claimed the recall was an extension of last November’s worldwide recall, issued after three injury reports were submitted to Mattel involving children requiring intestinal surgery after digesting the magnets. No additional injuries have been reported.

Worried parent Lindi Greenfield was shopping at the boutique store Grants Toys in Sydney’s Rose Bay yesterday with daughters Talia, 4, and Sophie, 3.

“Having to check that toys are safe when you buy them for your kid’s birthday, it’s terrible,” she said. “Kids put so much in their mouths. You have to watch every single thing.”

Mattel International’s chief executive Robert Eckert said production processes and safety checks had been upgraded across the company’s factories and suppliers. “The safety of children is our primary concern,” he said.

A China Toy Association official said yesterday that China had known about problems with magnets on toys since March, but she did not elaborate on why therecall took so long to be issued.

The Chinese Government is trying to reassure the rest of the world that their products are safe.

Other recent product scares include two brands of Chinese blankets found to contain high levels of carcinogenic chemicals, and reports of Chinese seafood containing antibiotics.

China makes about 70 per cent of the world’s toys, which form the fourth-biggest group of products it exports to Australia.

An official at the Import and Export Inspection and Quarantine Bureau in Beijing said all toys had to meet a national standard, introduced three years ago, that applies to the eight metals in materials used in toys.

The official said manufacturers had to test component materials before and after production. The bureau followed up with random checks but lacked theresources to inspect every item produced.

Commerce Ministry spokesman Wang Xinpei said: “The safety level of Chinese toys is reliable.

Of 300,000 batches exported to the USA in 2006, only 29 items were subject to recalls.”

This week, a Chinese paper reported that Zhang Shuhong, who ran Lee Der Industrial company that produced 967,000 of the toys recalled earlier this month, killed himself.

OFF THE SHELVES

The full list of toys recalled by Mattel Australia

H6414, M1253, L6294

Sarge from Cars

55503 Polly Pocket Happennin’ Pet Pals Salon

B2631 Polly Pocket Magnetic Additions assortment

B2632 Polly Pocket Hangin-Out House

B3158 Polly Pocket Treetop Clubhouse

B3201 Polly Pocket & Me Hair Caboodle

B3202 Polly Pocket & Me Activity assortment

B3206 Polly Pocket & Me Makeup assortment

B7078 Polly Pocket Divine Dogs with DVD

B7080 Polly Pocket Dazzlin Pet Show assortment

B7123 Polly Pocket Polly Place Town assortment

B7126 Polly Pocket On-The-Go assortment

G8602 Polly Pocket Mermaid Stars playset

G8605 Polly Pocket Quick Clik boutique

G8606 Polly Pocket Quick Clip Shops assortment

G8612 Polly Pocket Snow Cool Hotel

G8614 Polly Pocket Quik Clik House of Style

G8615 Polly Pocket Totally Bead-iful

G8616 Polly Pocket Quik Clik House of Style

J1659 Pollyworld Limo

J1660 Pollyworld Dial a Style assortment

J1670 My Size Magnetic Polly

J1681 Pollyword Place

J1682 Pollyworld Place assortment

J1687 Pollyworld Sky Lounge

J9648 Twirl’n’Swirl Beauty Case

J9964 Pollyworld Dial A Song

K0043 Pollyworld Theme Park Pals assortment

J1943 The Batman Magnetic Lock assortment

J4142 One Piece Triple Slash Zolo

J9427 Barbie and Tanner

Source: Mattel Australia