In 2007, China overtook Canada to become the largest source of U.S. imports (at $322 billion). In 2008, U.S. imports from China totaled $338 billion. U.S. imports from China as a share of total U.S. imports rose from 6.5% in 1996 to 16.1% in 2008. Over the past few years, numerous recalls and warnings have been issued by U.S. firms over various products imported from China, due to health and safety concerns. This has led many U.S. policymakers to question the adequacy of China's regulatory environment in ensuring that its exports to the United States meet U.S. standards for health, safety, and quality; as well as the ability of U.S. government regulators, importers, and retailers to identify and take action against unsafe imports (from all countries) before they enter the U.S. market. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in March 2007 issued warnings and announced voluntary recalls on certain pet foods (and products used to manufacture pet food and animal feed) from China believed to have caused the sickness and deaths of numerous pets in the United States. In May 2007, the FDA issued warnings on certain toothpaste products (some of which were found to be counterfeit) found to originate in China that contained poisonous chemicals. In June 2007, the FDA announced import controls on all farm-raised catfish, bass, shrimp, dace (related to carp), and eel from China after antimicrobial agents, which are not approved in the United States for use in farm-raised aquatic animals, were found. Such shipments will be detained until they are proven to be free of contaminants. On January 25, 2008, the FDA posted on its website a notice by Baxter Healthcare Corporation that it had temporarily halted the manufacture of its multiple-dose vials of heparin (a blood thinner) for injection because of recent reports of serious adverse events (including an estimated 81 deaths and hundreds of complications) associated with the use of this drug. On February 18, 2008, the New York Times reported that a Chinese firm that produces an active ingredient used to produce heparin was not certified by the Chinese government to make the drug and had not undergone FDA inspection; many have speculated that the Chinese plant is likely the source of the problem. On September 12, 2008, the FDA issued a health information advisory on infant formula in response to reports of contaminated milk-based infant formula manufactured and sold in China, and later issued a warning on other products containing milk imported from China. On November 12, 2008, the FDA issued a new alert stating that all products containing milk imported from China would be detained unless proven to be free of melamine. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in June 2007 was informed by Foreign Tire Sales Inc., an importer of foreign tires, that it suspected that up to 450,000 tires (later reduced to 255,000 tires) made in China may have a major safety defect (i.e., missing or insufficient gum strip inside the tire). The company was ordered by the NHTSA to issue a recall. The Chinese government and the manufacturer have maintained that the tires in question meet or exceed U.S. standards. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has issued alerts and announced voluntary recalls by U.S. companies on numerous products made in China. For example, in 2007, over four-fifths of CPSC recall notices involved Chinese products. Over this period, roughly 17.6 million toy units were recalled because of excessive lead levels. Recalls were also issued on 9.5 million Chinese-made toys (because of the danger of loose magnets), 4.2 million "Aqua Dots" toys (because beads contain a chemical that can turn toxic if ingested) and 1 million toy ovens (due to potential finger entrapment and burn hazards). In 2008, around 2.5 million toy units from China were recalled due to high lead content. From January 1 to June 3, 2009, about 1.1 million children's items (mainly toys and shoes) from China were recalled because of excessive lead. There have been a number media reports in 2009 about potential health and safety hazards of Chinese-made drywall products that have been installed in American homes in an number of states (including Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, and Virginia) over the past few years. It has been claimed that these products emit sulfur gases that corrode copper coils and electrical and plumbing components. The CPSC reports that it has received over 365 reports from residents in 18 states and the District of Columbia who believe their health symptoms or the corrosion of certain metal components in their homes are related to the presence of drywall produced in China. The CPSC reportedly began an investigation of Chinese-made drywall in February 2009 to evaluate the relationship between the drywall and the reported health symptoms and electrical and fire safety issues and to trace the origin and distribution of the drywall. China's media reported in March that the government is also investigating these complaints. U.S. imports of plaster products, which includes drywall, from China rose from $3.6 billion in 2005 to $32.3 billion in 2006, then fell to $5.7 billion by 2008. In Congress, H.R. 1977 and S. 739 would require the CPSC to study and test drywall imported from China in 2004-2007, analyze its composition, determine the impact that chemicals and organic compounds in the drywall had on metal items in homes as well as potential health effects, and to issue an interim ban on drywall products deemed to constitute a substantial product hazard. In addition, S.Res. 91 would call on the CPSC to initiate a formal proceeding to investigate drywall imported from China in 2004-2007, prohibit the further importation of drywall and associated building products from China, order a recall of hazardous Chinese drywall, and to seek civil penalties against the drywall manufacturers in China that produced or distributed hazardous drywall and their subsidiaries in the United States to cover the cost of the recall effort and other associated remediation efforts. Table 1 lists various products imported from China in 2008 that have been the subject of U.S. health and safety concerns over the past few years, such as toys, seafood, tires, animal foods, organic chemicals and pharmaceuticals, and toothpaste. It shows that China was a major source of imports for many of these products. For example, China was the largest supplier of imported toys (91% of total) and tires (37%) and the 2 nd for seafood products (16%) and animal foods (26%). Despite health and safety concerns, U.S. imports of most of the products listed (with the exception of drywall and toothpaste) increased in 2008 over 2007 levels. Many analysts contend that China's health and safety regime for manufactured goods and agricultural products is fragmented and ineffective. Problems are seen as including weak consumer protection laws and poorly enforced regulations, lack of inspections and ineffective penalties for code violators, underfunded and understaffed regulatory agencies and poor interagency cooperation, the proliferation of fake goods and ingredients, the existence of numerous unlicensed producers, falsified export documents, extensive pollution, intense competition that often induces firms to cut corners, the relative absence of consumer protection advocacy groups, failure by Chinese firms to closely monitor the quality of their suppliers' products, restrictions on the media, and extensive government corruption and lack of accountability, especially at the local level. Chinese officials contend that most Chinese-made products are safe and note that U.S. recalls for health and safety reasons have involved a number of countries (as well as U.S. products). They also argue that some of the blame for recalled products belongs to U.S. importers or designers. They further contend that some U.S. products imported into China have failed to meet Chinese standards. However, they have acknowledged numerous product health and safety problems in China, as reflected in reports that have appeared in China's state-controlled media. For example, in June 2004, the Chinese People ' s Daily reported that fake baby formula had killed 50 to 60 infants in China. In June 2006, the China Daily reported that 11 people had died from a tainted injection used to treat gall bladders. In August 2006, Xinhua News Agency reported that a defective antibiotic drug killed seven people and sickened many others. China has announced a number of initiatives to improve and strengthen food and drug safety supervision and standards, increase inspections, require safety certificates before some products can be sold, and to crack down on government corruption: In May 2007, the Xinhua News Agency reported that former director of China's State Food and Drug Administration had been sentenced to death for taking bribes (equivalent to $850,000) in return for approving untested and/or fake medicines (he was executed on July 10, 2007). On the same day, the Xinhua News Agency reported that the Chinese government had announced that it would, by the end of 2007, complete regulations for setting up a national food recall system would ban the sale of toys that failed to pass a national compulsory safety certification. On June 27, 2007, the China Daily reported that a nationwide inspection of the food production industry had found that a variety of dangerous industrial raw materials had been used in the production of flour, candy, pickles, biscuits, black fungus, melon seeds, bean curd, and seafood. As a result, the government reportedly closed 180 food factories found to be producing unsafe products and/or making fake commodities. It also reported that in 2006, the government had conducted 10.4 million inspections, uncovering problems in 360,000 food businesses, and had closed 152,000 unlicensed food businesses. On July 4, 2007, the China Daily reported that the government had finished making amendments to all food safety standards and had established an emergency response mechanism among several ministries to deal with major problems regarding food safety.