I like to try to be reasonable. I think it's a matter of shutting off the tap before you clean up the floor. Stop producing products with what would appear to be highly toxic substances. Once that regulation is in place, then yes, the recall power kicks in after you've decided that you put in place a regulation.
I'm not suggesting to then recall every product. If you use the example of pesticides, this happens when a regulatory decision is made to restrict the use more so than has been the case in the past. The decision means those products that are still on the shelf can still be sold and can still be used, but only up to a certain date, and that's it. It's a way of dealing with the transitional issues that you've identified, without saying recall it all.
Again, it speaks to the issue of risk management including public awareness about longer-term risk. We have all kinds of literature out there in the United States and also in Canada to warn people about the hazards of lead in old paint. It's a legacy issue and something the public needs to know about. When I use the piece of foam example, I describe this as another legacy issue people need to know about, because this will continue to deteriorate.
When I talk about the notion of adding recall powers, I don't mean that you would recall everything that's out there or even what's on the shelf. The regulation would mean a phase-out by a certain date, and beyond that you wouldn't use those products.