CORDLESS JUG kettles, imitation brand toothpaste, car parts, nail varnish and toy rattles were among 32 products removed from Irish shelves last year, according to a European Commission report on "dangerous" consumer goods.
The National Consumer Agency (NCA) also outlined that items reported as unsafe to the commission, from other countries, were examined to see if they were stocked in outlets here and there were 97 such cases in 2007.
Overall within the EU last year, there was a nearly 53 per cent rise in the number of dangerous products removed from sale (1,605) compared to 2006 (1,051).
Nearly half of the total items removed from sale last year had their origin in China.
It said one reason for the large number of Chinese products involved was the fact that surveillance on Chinese products was tighter than for many other countries and there was a high number of recalls last summer.
The commission's annual report on the EU Rapid Alert System (RAPEX) for potentially hazardous consumer goods revealed that toys (417), motor vehicles (197) and electrical appliances (156) accounted for much of the total reported in 2007 and cosmetics also featured prominently.
RAPEX, however, does not include food, pharmaceutical and medical products.
Catherine Lenihan assistant director of the NCA, said in many cases voluntary measures by retailers or distributors were taken to withdraw products when they became aware of a risk, either from the manufacturer, via customer complaint or other sources.
Last August, a cordless jug kettle was pulled from sale when it emerged its particular shape could scald users during pouring, while in April a Shrek-themed plastic green headband, that originated in China, was withdrawn because a wire connection could become loose and pinch a child's head.