NEW YORK (Bloomberg) — The US Toy Industry Association, whose members include Mattel Inc. and Lego A/S, said its board unanimously approved a plan for a new testing system following the recall of tens of millions of Chinese-made toys last year.

The proposal includes new steps in the design, manufacturing and safety testing of toys, the New York-based trade group said yesterday in a statement. The American National Standards Institute will publish the report on February 22 for public review, the association said.

The $22 billion US toy industry was rocked last year by the recall of tens of millions of Chinese-made products, many for containing excessive levels of lead paint or magnets that could be swallowed. Toymakers and retailers have implemented more- stringent testing standards and Congress has introduced legislation to overhaul consumer-safety laws.

Toys "R" Us Inc., the largest US toy-store chain, said last week it would adopt stricter standards for lead paint in toys than the US government and require manufacturers to increase testing of their products by outside laboratories for all shipments on or after March 1.

The Wayne, New Jersey-based retailer and Mattel, the world's largest toymaker, are also ending the use of nickel-cadmium batteries. Toys "R" Us said it told manufacturers to stop using the batteries made exclusively for the retailer by year-end.

Mattel, maker of Barbie dolls and Hot Wheels cars, is starting a pilot programme to replace all nickel-cadmium batteries with nickel-metal hydride ones because they are manufactured more safely. The company plans to phase out nickel-cadmium batteries by the end of the year.