Reebok fined over toxic bracelets

Reebok has been fined one million dollars following a 2006 recall of 300,000 bracelets which were found to contain toxic levels of lead and resulted in the death of a child in the US. The bracelets were given away free with various styles of children’s trainers. In March 2006, a 4-year-old boy from Minneapolis who swallowed the bracelet’s heart-shaped pendant died. “This civil penalty sends a clear message that the Consumer Product Safety Commission will not allow companies to put children’s safety at risk,” a CPSC spokeswoman said. “Preventing dangerous metal jewellery from reaching the hands of children is a priority for our agency,” she said. Adidas, which bought Reebok in 2005, recently announced profits for 2007 of $835 million, a sum which puts the fine into perspective.