DECATUR - The No. 2 Democrat in the U.S. Senate paid a visit to Decatur on Monday to make an appeal for major changes to ensure consumer safety in the wake of large-scale recalls of children's toys and other imports.

Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin unveiled his proposals during a news conference at Decatur Day Care Center, 2075 E. Lake Shore Drive, as part of a multistop state tour.

Durbin said he seeks many reforms to ensure the safety of toys and other imports, including increasing the number of Consumer Product Safety Commission inspectors and stiffening penalties for retailers who knowingly sell recalled products.

He also is pushing legislation that would require all products imported into the country for use by children under 5 years old to be tested by third-party laboratories before hitting shelves.

Concerns about lead poisoning and other safety risks posed by toys in recent months have led to recalls of millions of children's playthings on the market, including products featuring Thomas the Tank Engine, Dora the Explorer, Elmo and other Sesame Street characters.

Other recalls have included Magnetix, which Durbin said he found particularly unsettling as he had given the magnetic building set to his grandson as a gift.

Durbin said free trade expansion has led to more imports filling U.S. stores, and the majority of those are coming from China, which so far has failed to adopt adequate safety standards for its products and resisted allowing American inspectors to check out its goods.

"The consumers of America have to understand that 'Made in China' is a warning label," Durbin said. "You have to take a look at these products very carefully and think long and hard about whether or not they're safe."

Diane Friend, the center's executive director, said her child care facility has not had any of its toys involved in the recalls, but the issue is a major concern for all those who work with children and their parents as they struggle to ensure safety during playtime.

"So many of them are the most popular," Friend said of the toys that have been recalled.

But the senator noted that children's toys are not the only imported products to raise concerns for consumers. Tainted pet food, toothpaste containing antifreeze and defective tires are among some of the dangerous products most recently found to have been imported into the United States.

"American consumers should not assume everything on the shelves in America today is safe," Durbin said.

Mary Tallon can be reached at mtallon@herald-review.com or 421-7984.