There is growing concern worldwide that some parents may have unwittingly brought a killer into their homes - a killer disguised as a friend. The killer takes the form of bright and shiny toys, many of which bear brand names we thought we could trust - brand names like Fisher Price and Mattel.

That trust has been shattered in recent months as those familiar big brand companies send out a steady stream of product recall notices. In most cases the problems originate in China, where the low cost of labour has led many companies to outsource their production. Regulations and controls there are far less stringent there, and products which are downright dangerous have made their way into toy boxes and nurseries around the world.

In early November Toys R Us Canada announced it had pulled Aqua Dots from store shelves, after a similar product in Australia was found to contain a powerful chemical that metabolises into a potent date-rape drug when consumed.

Aqua Dots toys are similar to Bindeez (pictured), which were supposed to have been one of the big hits this coming holiday season. Children use Bindeez to make animals and other shapes from beads. Retailers, including Woolworths and Argos, withdrew the sets after the Australian company that designed the product, admitted that a number of children in Australia needed treatment after swallowing the beads.

The beads, made in China, are supposed to be coated with a harmless glue to allow them to stick together. But, authorities in New South Wales found they were covered in a chemical which, if swallowed, changes into a compound similar to GHB, a “date rape” drug. The reaction can cause seizures, unconsciousness, drowsiness, coma and death.

Australian Minister for Fair Trading Linda Burney announced a ban on the products after tests found they contained a potentially harmful chemical called 1,4-butanediol.

The Bindeez recall is the latest in an epidemic that has heightened global concern about the safety of Chinese-made products. A few months earlier toy-maker Fisher-Price recalled more than a million toys - including the popular Big Bird, Elmo, Dora and Diego characters - because their paint contains excessive amounts of lead.

David Allmark, general manager of Fisher-Price, said the problem was detected by an internal probe and reported to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, which works with companies to issue recalls.

The recalls are not isolated incidents, nor are they limited to excessive levels of dangerous chemicals. In November a product called Skippy Pool Toy was pulled when it was revealed that the rubber, fish-shaped pool toy could easily break causing serious cuts. There are 24 reports of children needing stitches to close gashes on their hands; one kid had his thumb nail ripped out by Skippy. Although that product is appears to have been produced by US-based Swimway, the units are actually manufactured in China. 

The Laugh and Learn Kitchen by Fisher price was recalled when parts broke off posing a choking hazard. Bumbo International, of South Africa, voluntarily recalled about 1 million Bumbo “Baby Sitter” Seats. If the seat is placed on a table, countertop, chair, or other elevated surface, children can arch their backs, flip out of the Bumbo seat, and fall onto the floor, posing a risk of serious head injuries.

So what’s the solution? Unfortunately many countries don’t have a centralised database to check for product safety, let alone toy safety, but the internet has once again proven itself to be a valuable source of information.

You can log on to any number of international websites and look for specific products that pose a risk. For example the US Consumer Product Safety Commission website has a great searchable database: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prerel.html You can search by brand name, product description or even by type of hazard you are concerned about.

Mattel, the parent company of Fisher Price has recalled more than 21 million toys in the past year. It now has its own product safety page which lists its own recalls http://service.mattel.com/us/recall.asp

Britain’s Toy & Hobby Association (BTHA) http://www.btha.co.uk/parents_page/ is tightening quality controls after meeting representatives of the major manufacturers.

“We want to introduce more certification, and the plan is to educate toy manufacturers about quality control processes,” Natasha Crookes, director of communications at BTHA, told Reuters recently.

One British-based website, UK Recall Notice http://www.ukrecallnotice.co.uk/ offers a free subscription so you can receive e-mail notices of product recalls, including toys. 

It remains to be seen if the dramatic rise in the number of toy recalls will lead to a toy shortage during the Holiday season. For many consumers the “Made in China” label that has become so familiar might be interpreted as a warning label.