Customs seizes children’s toys coated in toxic chemicals bound for Fairfax Co.

A shipment of Lagori 7 Stones, a game popular in India, was seized from the Port of Baltimore. (Courtesy Customs and Border Protection)

U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced that it recently seized a shipment of children’s toys at the Port of Baltimore bound for an address in Fairfax County, Virginia, that were found to have high levels of toxic chemicals.

CBP announced that one of its officers and an investigator with the Consumer Product Safety Commission inspected a package of toys from China on July 16. The shipment contained around 300 packages of Lagori 7 Stones, a game popular in India where children throw a ball at seven stacked stones.

The shipment was detained on Aug. 24, and nine samples were submitted to the CPSC lab for analysis. The lab found the toys were coated in lead, cadmium and barium in levels beyond what is considered safe for consumer products.

The CPSC ordered customs to seize the shipment under the Federal Hazardous Substances Act, and the seizure was completed on Oct. 4, according to CBP.

“The health and safety of our nation’s children remains a priority concern for Customs and Border Protection, CPSC and all of our consumer safety partners,” said Adam Rottman, CBP’s area port director in Baltimore. “We hope that seizures like this help to raise consumer awareness about the very real threats posed by seemingly safe children’s toys and we urge consumers to conduct their due diligence when purchasing holiday gifts online this year.”

Zeke Hartner

Zeke Hartner is a digital writer/editor who has been with WTOP since 2017. He is a graduate of North Carolina State University’s Political Science program and an avid news junkie.

Federal News Network Logo
Log in to your WTOP account for notifications and alerts customized for you.

Sign up