CHICAGO – With the holiday shopping season fast approaching, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin stepped up pressure Monday on the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission to make sure toys on store shelves are safe.

Durbin and other lawmakers want the agency to check children’s products made in China for lead contamination. If lead is found, Durbin wants the agency to detain the products and inspect other shipments from the manufacturer.

At a news conference at a Chicago daycare center, Durbin released a letter he said he’s sending to the commission reiterating his call for such testing, similar to another letter earlier this month from him and some fellow senators, including Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who joined Durbin in Chicago on Monday.

“We need to restore the confidence of American parents in the toys that are in this country, and that means making sure these unsafe toys never get on our shores and aren’t in our stores,” said Klobuchar, a Democrat.

Millions of Chinese-made toys recently have been recalled because of lead-paint contamination or because they contained small magnets harmful to children who ingest them. China has sought to defend its exports and show its working to address safety issues.

“Going to the cheapest place in the world to make toys has created a dangerous environment,” Durbin said.

He said the product-safety commission has questioned whether it has the legislative authority to conduct the analysis that he and others want.

Commission spokeswoman Julie Vallese said there is no pre-market government testing of products, and her agency deals with problem products through recalls.

She said she would not respond to Durbin’s request through the media but the agency would respond to him quickly and thoroughly.

Durbin said retailers also must police the toys they sell. He said he has been in contact with major retailers, including Wal-Mart and Toy “R” Us and that the companies are taking steps to inspect toys already purchased to be sold this holiday season.

Durbin also said there should be a law requiring children’s toys to be inspected and certified to be safe.