PHILADELPHIA -- In mid-March, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) pulled all 32 of its product safety inspectors across 18 U.S. ports in response to COVID-19, according to an investigative report published Friday by USA Today. The expose says the Consumer Product Safety Commission, which employs the inspectors known as “toy police,” was still allowing products into the country unchecked this month in New York, Chicago and three other major ports. The agency made this decision privately, without notifying Americans. This action calls into question the safety of many toys and household products on store shelves this holiday season. USA Today reports that huge name-brand retailers including Walgreens, Amazon and Target all received overseas shipments while these inspections were suspended.

In the three months leading up to the pandemic, these same 32 agency inspectors found significantly more lead violations in the products entering the United States than during the same period the previous year. If that trend continued at the same rate, inspectors would have found 200 more port violations this year than they had in 2019.
The average American has neither the equipment nor the knowledge to detect lead, so it’s unclear how many toys and consumer products containing this hidden hazard have slipped into stores and homes across the country. In addition, many of the products that evaded inspection may bear improper -- or no -- warning labels and may present choking or other hazards.