Buying simple, cheap, and colorful flip-flops to wear on the beach or around the house seems harmless enough, but that wasn't the case when reportedly seven million plastic, Chinese-made sandals were sold at Wal-Marts throughout the nation. These flip-flops know as Sand 'N Sun Sandals produced harsh, yet still unidentified, chemical reactions that caused chemical burns on victims' feet.

Stories and photos of these burns abound on the internet. Many of the photos are so graphic that I decided it would be better to post a link to some rather than post the actual photos, so those with weak stomachs could keep their lunch. If you want to see some first and second degree burns produced from these sandals, though, here's a link to a photographer's website, who is one of the first victims:

http://www.lamanaphotography.com/walmart...

You'll recall a post about consumer safety regarding Chinese-made goods in mid-November. ( http://gcdailyworld.com/blogs/chriswathe... ) Unfortunately, these sandals are yet another chapter to this book. How many more chapters there will be is still unknown, but it could be several. In fact, several may not be known for years when long-term effects of some products come to light.

To help in situations like this, the INside Edge Newsletter is reporting today that "State Senator Vi Simpson (D-Ellettsville) has filed legislation that is meant to help protect Hoosiers from potentially harmful products. The measure would prohibit stores from selling products unless the package has a label that displays the country of origin where the product was manufactured, grown or processed. Labels would also have to list any toxic materials present in the product."

It will be interesting to find out exactly what was in these sandals to cause chemical burns. It will also be interesting to find out if -- and in what form -- the proposed legislation will be passed.