PORTLAND: US Customs officials seaized at least 200,000 toy dolls being imported from China at the Port of Portland due to toxic plastics, officials said.
US Customs stopped ten shipments containing some 200,000 toys with high levels of the banned chemical compound phthalate. Authorities also seized shipments at ports in Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, Norfolk, Memphis, Newark and Savannah.
According to US Customs and Border Protection, the shipments had been under scrutiny since April. The federal government banned the use of phthalates in children products because they posed a potential health hazard.
