Southland toy importer fined for lead paint and other hazards

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A Los Angeles-area toy importer has agreed to pay a $665,000 fine for importing and selling toys with high levels of lead and for violating other federal child safety standards, the Consumer Product Safety Commission said.

The commission announced today that it had reached a settlement with OKK Trading Ltd. of Commerce. The company’s website says it is one of the nation’s largest wholesale direct importers of dollar-store toys, stationery and seasonal merchandise.

OKK officials could not be reached for comment, but a news release from the commission said that, as part of the settlement, the company denied having knowingly violated the Federal Hazardous Substances Act.

The company told the commission it received no reports of injury involving the toys and other products named in the settlement.

The fine, a civil penalty, came after the commission alleged that OKK knowingly imported and sold toys that contained more than 0.06% lead by weight in paints or surface coatings. The company also imported games, pacifiers, rattles and art supplies that violated other federal safety standards from November 2007 through August 2008, the commission said.

The items specified in the settlement as breaking other federal safety standards contained small parts that posed choking hazards, and some were improperly labeled, the commission said.

The commission has fined other toy merchants in the past. Earlier this month, Mattel agreed to pay $2.3 million to settle a civil lawsuit by the commission that alleged that the El Segundo toy maker imported and sold toys with illegally high levels of lead.

Lead is toxic. Ingesting it is extremely hazardous for children and can lead to learning disabilities.

-- Nathan Olivarez-Giles