November 8, 2007 —

Another recall of potentially dangerous toys manufactured in China is raising more questions about America's trade relationship with the world's leading exporter of cheap consumer goods. Aqua Dots, which rank on Wal-Mart's list of top 12 Christmas toys, have been found to react chemically when swallowed. The product of this reaction is GHB, also known as "the date rape drug." So far, five children are reported to have been hospitalized after ingesting Aqua Dots, with at least two falling unconscious.

Less than 24 hours later, more than 400,000 more toys were pulled off the shelves for containing lead paint. In recent months, lead paint content has been responsible for the recalls of tens of millions of Mattel toys manufactured in China. Last month, Mattel took the blame for the recalls after maintaining for weeks that responsibility lay with the Chinese factories. Mattel now faces numerous libel suits from those factories for its initial claims.