Alarmed parents might have gotten the impression in recent weeks that Mattel is recalling toys faster than the company can make them -- at least those manufactured in China.

In a country that prides itself on quality of exports, it's hard to imagine how such sloppy oversight of unsafe products can be imported on the scale we've seen lately. In this part of the country, we go to great lengths to ensure the safety of apples and beef shipped abroad, but we can't prevent dangerous magnets in Barbie's pooper scooper from ending up in our children's stomachs?

And the possibility of lead poisoning can't be screened before imports hit the shelves in a nation that took lead-based paints and cheap imitation jewelry out of domestic production and circulation long ago?

Yet it continues to happen.

Last week, more than 9.6 million products by Mattel, creator of some of the nation's best-known toys, were taken off the shelves. It was the second voluntary recall for the company and included 7.3 million Polly Pocket play sets and other toys manufactured in China.

Other magnetized toys pulled included Batman action figure sets, Doggie Day Care play sets, and Barbie and Tanner doggie play sets, which contain a magnet at the end of Barbie's toy pooper scooper. Another 253,000 toys -- "Sarge" toy Jeeps, a spin-off from the Pixar movie "Cars" -- were recalled due to high levels of lead in their decorative paint.

Last November, Mattel recalled 2.4 million sets for similar problems. Three children playing with Polly Pockets required surgery when magnets they swallowed after they had fallen off the toys attached inside their intestines, causing perforations.

Yes, it's a fact. Toddlers tend to put everything in their mouths and when they're sucking on lead paint or magnets come loose from toys, it's a medical emergency.

And as far as the recalls, do we sense a pattern here? This is not one suspect line in a toy manufacturing plant, or a single batch of bad paint. The magnitude and regularity of these recalls is frightening.

A couple of things are at play: The American penchant for fad toys at a cheap price, which spurs manufacturers in the global marketplace to go overseas for huge volumes of cheap toys not governed by stricter, and more expensive, American rules of production.

The problem is that too often the cheap price isn't a bargain. Rather, it's a potential health hazard, putting our young children at risk. "Made in China," is rapidly becoming a cause for alarm -- thanks to the likes of tainted dog food, unsafe tires, poisonous toothpaste and dangerous toys.

Clearly, changes are in order. If companies are going to pursue inexpensive manufacturing around the globe in emerging economies, then it's reasonable to expect them to be more vigilant about product safety.

Unfortunately, the consuming public seems to have been lulled into a false sense of security about imported purchases: They tend to assume something is safe because it was sold in the United States and carries a familiar brand name, not pondering the fact it was not American-made.

The toy debacle is not the first time we've had a serious problem with dangerous imports and inadequate federal oversight. And China isn't the only country we import from that has proven quality and safety issues.

Two years ago, the state Department of Health warned of dangerous amounts of lead in chili and tamarind treats that were imported from Mexico and available in this area. The health department subsequently stepped up its educational efforts about the dangers of consuming lead, especially in children, and the federal Food and Drug Administration stepped in to increase scrutiny of the imported candy.

What's particularly troubling about both the toy and candy import issues is that children are most at risk.

Stricter federal inspection and certification of imports will do for openers. Manufacturers must also be held accountable for meeting safety standards if they want to sell their products in this country, regardless of where they are made.

The scope of the recalls alone shows how quickly a situation can spiral out of control. Safety, not price, must be of paramount concern and American consumers have every right to expect foreign imports to be safe for the kids to play with as anything made in this country.

If they're not, they shouldn't be coming into the country in the first place. Voluntary recalls are fine, but they should not be our first line of defense against potentially dangerous imports from any country.

* Members of the Yakima Herald-Republic editorial board are Michael Shepard, Sarah Jenkins and Bill Lee.