Our country imports billions of dollars worth of goods from China every year. As our manufacturing base has crumbled in a new “free-trade” dominated world economy, American capacity to make everything from computers to rocking chairs has been shipped overseas. One of the main producers of American consumption, China, also happens to be one of the world’s greatest polluters and a notorious example of poor health and safety standards. Increasingly, China’s poor quality, substandard, unsafe goods are being shipped to the United States.

The U.S. makes incredibly few toys in American facilities; a large amount of our consumption in the toy sector is imported from China. Chinese toys have been found to contain hazardous levels of lead and other toxins which can seriously harm small children. While the Bush administration signed a law that would put aggressive regulations in place to catch contaminated imports, it will not go into effect until February 2009, according to MarketWatch.

The problem presented by Chinese imports is not merely in the toy industry. Chinese food imports are known to be tainted beyond FDA and EPA regulatory standards. Aside from imports, Chinese working conditions are known to be appalling by most standards, but with their insurmountable advantage in low labor costs we simply cannot afford to not purchase their goods. It is impossible for the United States to compete and produce its wares in regulated domestic facilities for the same cost of producing them overseas. No technological advantage could possibly make up for the tax benefits, government subsidies, lack of minimum wage and health and safety standards present in China.

By chasing the cheapest goods possible, we have set ourselves up for dependence on a nation that strives to keep conditions at dangerous levels so as to insure repeat customers. In the end we all make decisions based on price, and regardless of their quality Chinese goods come at unbeatable prices. This is a vicious cycle which now endangers Americans and Chinese alike. Last year contaminated Chinese pet food killed thousands of American pets. This year, Americans will have to be vigilant in their purchases to ensure that Chinese lead-contamination is not present in their children’s toys and that expecting mothers do not come into contact with contaminated imports.

Not only are our screening regulations far from ideal, but our absolute desire for cheap goods places us in a disadvantageous position. If we ignore Chinese goods (or goods from any number of low cost alternatives with equally poor safety and health records) we pay exorbitant prices that would destroy the middle class we have fought so hard to build. People must accept that living at our current standard comes with significant risks. We can either rein in our consumption, or open ourselves up to health problems and other issues that we will be increasingly powerless to stop.

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