OKK Trading Co. agreed to penalties of $665,000 for knowingly importing and selling toys containing dangerous lead levels. The Consumer Product Safety Commission had filed complaints alleging violations of child safety standards and other federal laws by OKK.
This is yet another example of the profits at any cost business model that is pervasive in our economy today. Companies that profit by knowingly evading safety laws, especially those designed to protect children, should face the stiffest civil penalties allowed by law and consumers should be better informed so they can boycott those companies. If they are driven only by profit the best place to hurt them is in their pocketbook.
Richard J. Arsenault, 2011
