Canada Sees Threat From Soil in Chinese Toy Guns
Date: 15-Apr-05
Country: CANADA
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency said each rifle contained a bag of soil used as a weight.
"The soil may spill out and release destructive insects, microscopic worms, fungi or bacteria that could spread into Canadian crops and forests," it said in a statement.
Canada bars the import of soil from outside North America, saying it can easily contain pests.
"We didn't expect plant protection problems from toy guns," said agency spokesman Alain Charette, adding that tests showed the soil had not been properly treated to remove contaminants.
