The United States government is struggling to ensure the safety of consumer products and food imported from China, as evidenced by a recent spate of controversies involving dangerous Chinese-made products. While America's consumer product safety net is relatively strong, China's young market economy is largely unchecked by government regulators. Subsequently, dangerous Chinese products are finding their way to American shores where federal agency officials are unable to monitor the volume of imports.

In March and April, contaminated pet food sickened and killed pets across the country. The pet food contained ingredients, imported from China, tainted by the chemical melamine. A pet food recall was organized, but the melamine was detected in animal feed which led to human exposure. Federal scientists concluded the human risk to be low.

In May, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) began to warn of Chinese-made toothpaste contaminated with diethylene glycol, which is commonly found in antifreeze. FDA is still not fully certain of the details and has been forced to warn consumers to avoid using any dental products made in China.

An even more recent surge of incidents has kept the issue in the national spotlight. On June 13, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced a recall of 1.5 million Thomas & Friends toy trains. The toys, imported from China, had been coated with lead-based paint.

On June 26, the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) ordered a New Jersey tire importer to recall 450,000 defective Chinese-made tires. The importer, Foreign Tire Sales, complained of potential bankruptcy, but NHTSA threatened to levy millions of dollars in fines if the importer did not comply. Foreign Tire Sales has initiated the recall and will continue until it is forced to declare bankruptcy, according to CNN.

On June 28, FDA announced an import ban on five different types of Chinese farm-raised seafood products. While no illnesses have been reported, the agency "repeatedly found that farm-raised seafood imported from China were contaminated with antimicrobial agents that are not approved for this use in the United States."

A lack of transparency and accountability within China has complicated the matter. Chinese manufacturers have repeatedly denied product flaws. The response of Chinese government officials has been slow and at times peculiar. In June, Chinese officials closed 180 manufacturers after finding rampant food safety violations.

However, China has not taken full responsibility for its regulatory failings. Government officials have attempted to downplay Chinese culpability by accusing the American media of exaggerating coverage of dangerous imports. More importantly, officials are not aggressively addressing problems.

China's most widely publicized move to take responsibility for product safety came in May when a court sentenced to death former head of the State Food and Drug Administration Zheng Xiaoyu. Zheng was convicted of taking bribes that ultimately led to the approval of pharmaceuticals with deadly side effects. He was executed July 10. Another former senior official from the agency, Cao Wenzhuang, was also sentenced to death for corruption. Cao's sentence comes with a two-year reprieve.

On the American side, a patchwork of federal regulations is partially to blame. A number of federal agencies monitor imports with little coordination between them. In addition to FDA, NHTSA, and CPSC, the United States Department of Agriculture, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol and others are responsible for a variety of imported products.

Vigilance by American importers is also necessary. Recognizing the need for a safe product, American fireworks importers created the American Fireworks Standards Laboratory. The laboratory is able to monitor and inspect approximately 75 percent of the Chinese fireworks imported into the United States, according to The Washington Post.

The issue has drawn the attention of lawmakers on Capitol Hill. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) has unveiled a plan that would address the safety of Chinese imports. Schumer's plan would create a federal office to oversee and coordinate the efforts of the numerous entities currently monitoring imports. It would also toughen federal inspection measures by requiring FDA to conduct more surprise inspections of foreign manufacturing facilities and requiring other agencies to initiate foreign inspection programs.

Schumer's plan has not yet taken the form of a legislative proposal. According to a statement, Schumer hopes to clear up the "maze of federal oversight." Schumer claims the current system "prevents the government from effectively stopping dangerous goods from getting through to American consumers."