Free trade in condoms: maybe not such a great thing

Almost a year ago, the New York Times published an article indicating that "low-end" condom production has been moving to Asia. "Low end" condoms made overseas under questionable regulatory schemes? Hmm...

Sure enough, the Washington Post says today:

Tens of thousands of condoms provided free by the District to curb HIV-AIDS have been returned to the health department because of complaints that their paper packaging is easily torn and could render the condoms ineffective... [volunteers] were told about packets ripping in purses or bursting open in pockets. As a result, many recipients said they had little confidence that the condoms would offer protection.

In addition, expiration dates on some of the Chinese-made condoms were illegible.

This, of course, comes on the heels of several imported product safety scares just in the past few days, about everything from lead-laden Mattel toys and crayons and paints to killer cribs.

Comments

[Don Puckett]

I've stopped buying anything "Made in China" for a number of very good reasons. Number 1 is "Made in China" means "This product can not be trusted to work or be safe". I've been going to the internet to find products "Made in America", and their there you just have to look. I'll buy anything made in Europe if I can't find it "Made in America", but I don't need it that bad to buy it "Made in China".
NAFTA, what a corporate lap-dog legislator's con-job.

[Joe Belisle]

As bad as China is the US isn't much better. If you want to buy products that are the least possible to poison you or you loved ones, think European Union.
I'd rather buy products made in America to keep our jobs but the European Union has taken great steps to control the introduction of new chemicals into manufacturing and has banned many chemicals from manufacturing that they and the US know are bad. The US is doing our best to stop them. It's affecting our sales to the EU. Yes, it's money not people that's the concern.
Free trade agreements are the wholesale sellout of the people for corporate/wealthy profits.
The EU is not much better but they are.

[Capitalism]

I have to admit, the idea of condoms not working /does/ freak me out a bit. ;-)