Azerbaijan, Baku / Trend corr. U.Ismaylova / The State Service on Control of the Consumer Market at the Azerbaijani Ministry of Economic Development is to begin monitoring the quality of toys made in China that are being sold in Azerbaijan, Khalig Mammadov, the head of the State Service, said on 5 October.
The US has recalled Chinese-made toys due to the discoveries of dangerous levels of lead in the paint used for the toys.
"In Azerbaijan we also have these dangerous toys from China being sold for children," Mammadov said. The State Service intends to eliminate Chinese-made goods that pose a threat to human life from the Azerbaijani market.
The Republican Sanitary-Guarantee Inspectorate reported that Mattel Inc. toys made in China that are dangerous for children's health are still being illegally sold in Azerbaijan.
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Mattel Inc. is one of the largest firms producing toys for children in the US (the most popular toy is 'Barbie'). The company recalled some 18.2mln toys made in one of the company's factories in China, from American, Canadian, British, and Mexican markets. The world press reported that the director of the Chinese branch of the company committed suicide on 13 August.
Vendors from one of Baku's largest toy retailers told Trend Agency that they are still selling Mattel Inc. toys however, denied the information about a delivery in August. About 40% of toys sold in Baku are made in China.
The Republican Hygiene and Epidemiology Centre, which is controlling the quality of goods in trade facilities did not take measures on controlling the quality of Chinese toys, as no appeal has been submitted regarding the issue, Ziyaddin Kazimov, the Director of the Department of the Centre, said on 17 August.
According to Eyyub Huseyinov, the head of the Free Consumers Union, most goods, including toys, do not pass certification in Azerbaijan.
Huseyinov told Trend that the Union did not monitor the quality of toys delivered to the country. However, the problems regarding the quality of toys made in China have been discussed by the Government.
Consumers have since then become aware of the situation and have become alarmed.