Made in China, (Buyer Beware)

[jdmidwest]

"Made in China (buyer beware)

By Michael D. Sorkin

ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH

07/01/2007

Americans were shocked and then angered this spring when their cats and dogs began getting sick or dying from pet food that turned out to be tainted.

That has been followed by a near-daily stream of recalls warning about all kinds of other toxic imported products, including toothpaste, baby bibs, toy trains and human food.

Now consumers are wondering what else at the supermarket or home store might hurt or kill them.

Last week alone the list included glassware from Pier 1, with 21 reports of cracked or broken glass; reclining chairs blamed in eight injuries; car tires blamed in two deaths; and fish and shrimp that the government says could cause cancer. "

Looks like America is going to have to start manufacturing its own products again. Imagine that, factories that will create jobs. Economy that becomes self sufficient instead of one that relies on foreign countries for products and is at the mercy of them at any given moment. Maybe the industrial boom in China will go bust and the steel, copper, and petroleum that they are consuming will fall back to normal. Life will be good again, except for Walmart. I wonder where they will buy their stuff?

[Rusty]

They are trying to take over the world by poisoning us.

[gonefishin]

No kidding JD. I have argued this for years but it has fallen on deaf ears. I cant speak about other industries but, I was in the metal

that have similar issues whom we regularly buy from. It makes me sick; funny thing is it is making everyone including our pets sick now. (heh, no pun intended)

Go to the LME site and look at the difference in US and (the rest of the world) specs.

Here is an example of a common spec used for everything from fly reels to cooking utensils to car parts. First thing a person might notice is the number of elements tested for. The second thing they might notice is the lack of a Lead spec for overseas material. The third thing a person should see is the total for elements other than Aluminum in North American Spec is .5 Max of which each element cannot be over .1 but in overseas material there is no total for other items and each item can be up to .5 In other words the total for other metals cannot be more than 1/2% Max here but overseas it can be up to 2.5%

North American Spec

Element % Minimum Maximum

Copper 3.00 3.50

Silicon 8.50 9.50

Iron 0.80 1.00

Magnesium - 0.10

Zinc - 3.00

Manganese - 0.45

Nickel - 0.50

Tin 0.10

Lead - 0.10

Chrome (chromium) - 0.10

Titanium - 0.10

Others – each - 0.10

Others – total - 0.50

Overseas spec for the same product

Element, % (min/max)

Cu 3.0 – 4.0

Si 7.5 – 9.5

Mg - 0.10

Zn - 2.90

Fe - 1.00

Mn - 0.50

Ni - 0.50

Sn - 0.35

Others - 0.50

[brownieman]

Good info GF...makes ya almost scared to take a breath of fresh? air or take a drink of clean? water...

thanks allot, lmao

sorry, duh...good info bud, lol

[gonefishin]

Heh heh. Well it may be a bit over the top but I was just trying to back up my statement. Chinese products are NOT safe. Nor are most third world products. Think about it this way, after reading that post and realizing how much lead is in Chinese aluminum, do you really want to use a made in china skillet to fry your fish in? Then there are the other untested for metals such as beryllium and cadmium and this does not even cover radiation contamination. But hey, the good news is their products are cheaper!!!!!!!! Somewhere along the line the American public has been sold on the idea that less expensive is better. The thing is with China, South Africa, Indonesia and other countries such as that not only are they less expensive they are cheaper and possibly poisonous too. YEAH!!! Bring on the cheaper

[davekeim]

Stainless steel. That's the ticket. When we start making US flags again in the US maybe things will be better!

Signed,

Cardiac

[jcoberley]

I can tell you that people all go out and buy inported items paying for it with their own, children, parents, uncle and aunts jobs. Cutting their own lively hood. Greed gets them every time. Folks need to look towards tomorrow and next year and next decade. And if they did they would be a lot of changes in this country!!!!!!!!JMO

[Thom]

I spend winters (Jan and Feb) in Port Aransas Texas. There is a shrimping harbor there and in Aransas Pass that is almost out of business due to the shrimp farming in china and thailand. The government in those countries are subsudizing them to raise the shrimp and sell it in the USA labeled wild shrimp which is a brand name not a description of the shrimp. They are raised in pools which are not regulated for chimically polluted water. Lead, mercury etc.

Port aransas has only two shrimpers left and they go out for a week at at time and come in and sell their shrimp at the dock. The winter texans like myself and the locals buy them out in just a couple of hours. 5.99 / lb tax free for large shrimp just out of the holds. I usally buy 10 # cleaning most for eating and using others for bait off the jetties and piers.

The guys on the boats tell me that with fuel costs they bearly make a living. There used to be 20 to 30 boats between those two harbors and processing plants for the seafood.

They do sell the small bait fish to the bay party boats and other fishermen for bait to help supplement their income.

[jcoberley]

No kidding JD. I have argued this for years but it has fallen on deaf ears. I cant speak about other industries but, I was in the metal

that have similar issues whom we regularly buy from. It makes me sick; funny thing is it is making everyone including our pets sick now. (heh, no pun intended)

Go to the LME site and look at the difference in US and (the rest of the world) specs.

Here is an example of a common spec used for everything from fly reels to cooking utensils to car parts. First thing a person might notice is the number of elements tested for. The second thing they might notice is the lack of a Lead spec for overseas material. The third thing a person should see is the total for elements other than Aluminum in North American Spec is .5 Max of which each element cannot be over .1 but in overseas material there is no total for other items and each item can be up to .5 In other words the total for other metals cannot be more than 1/2% Max here but overseas it can be up to 2.5%

North American Spec

Element % Minimum Maximum

Copper 3.00 3.50

Silicon 8.50 9.50

Iron 0.80 1.00

Magnesium - 0.10

Zinc - 3.00

Manganese - 0.45

Nickel - 0.50

Tin 0.10

Lead - 0.10

Chrome (chromium) - 0.10

Titanium - 0.10

Others – each - 0.10

Others – total - 0.50

Overseas spec for the same product

Element, % (min/max)

Cu 3.0 – 4.0

Si 7.5 – 9.5

Mg - 0.10

Zn - 2.90

Fe - 1.00

Mn - 0.50

Ni - 0.50

Sn - 0.35

Others - 0.50

GF I can relate to this. In the foundry we had specs we had to mantain and the inports didnt. Another one is in Mexico their Alumium Pop can still use lead seals. And here in the states its a big no no. Makes me wonder about the bear thats inported from Mexico!

[skeeter]

Gentlemen it's all done in the name of profit as I'm sure many if not all of you are aware.... The pressure put on Companies to constantly grow their share value to stockholders is incredible but that's our way of life ! The environmental concerns and regulations in this Country have made it financially beneficial coupled with the cost of labor to move manufacturing to the Communist dictatorship that is modern day China to drive those profits. Investors, Wall St. and mutual fund managers make these demands and this is the result. Not saying there is anything wrong with that but how the Chinese abuse the environment is criminal. The Chicoms spy on us, steal our technology for national defense and manufacturing and we are truly "sleeping with the enemy".