Steps forward in the fight against Toxic Toys

"...continued recalls in 2008 reminded Americans that no government agency tests toys before they are put on the shelves.

...Some children’s toys and jewelry may contain high levels of lead. In one case, we found a piece of jewelry that contained 45% lead by weight. We also found toys that exceed the new law’s lead paint standards, which will ban lead in paint in excess of 90 parts per million once in effect in August 2009.

...The CPSC does not test all toys, and not all toys on store shelves meet CPSC standards.

Recalls are a solution of last resort. Once products are in consumers’ homes, few will hear about the recall or will be able to take the products out of their homes. The better solution is to ensure that products are safe before they reach our stores and our shores.

...our efforts had largely been in vain. The CPSC had long suffered from Congressional neglect and administration efforts to weaken it (by both the 1980’s Reagan administration and this decade’s Bush administration.)

Those efforts to keep the CPSC small and weak were backed by the Toy Industry Association, the National Association of Manufacturers, manufacturers of all terrain vehicles (ATVs), and the American

Chemistry Council, among others.

Exposure to lead can affect almost every organ and system in the human body, especially the central nervous system. Lead is especially toxic to the brains of young children. A child exposed to a single high dose of lead—such as by swallowing a piece of metal jewelry containing lead—can suffer permanent neurological and behavioral damage, blood poisoning, and life-threatening encephalopathy. Exposure to low doses of lead can cause IQ deficits, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and deficits in vocabulary, fine motor skills, reaction time, and hand-eye coordination. "

Dangerous Toys List Released

Ty Milburn and Katie DeLong

Nov 25, 2008

MILWAUKEE - Toy sales are big this time of year, and Tuesday, a warning went out about some dangerous toys.

Child safety advocates say there are potentially millions of dangerous toys on the shelves this year.

They say beware of toys made with lead paint and toxic chemicals.

 

Child safety advocates have a message to parents this year: beware.

The Wisconsin Public Interest Research Group compiled a list of some of the most dangerous toys found stocked on shelves.

They include the red plastic super car made by Four Seasons Merchandise, silly fish squirters made by Toysmith and Hasbro’s littlest pet shop.

Advocates say toys like these are dangerous to children because they are made with lead paint, toxic chemicals or they are not age appropriate.

“There is a lot of risk. I think parents need to be more aware, supervise their children,” Child Safety Expert Jane Howard said.

Earlier this year congress passed a law that makes it illegal to sell some of these toys,

but it won't protect families this Christmas.

“It’s not going to be in effect until February of 09 so it’s still buyer beware this season,”WISPIRG's Samantha Gibb said...

Safety advocates say when shopping for toys, always read the labels to make sure the toys you buy are made by brands you trust."

CPSC Chairman’s Statement on Cadmium in Children’s Products

By Chairman Tenenbaum on January 11, 2010

"The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is moving swiftly to deal with the replacement of lead with cadmium in certain children’s products imported from China.  [They moved "swiftly" to stop the use of lead and it took years to get to this stage. LWB]

In a taped keynote speech to be delivered Tuesday to regulators at the APEC Toy Safety Initiative/Dialogue in Hong Kong, CPSC Chairman Inez Tenenbaum warns against the use of heavy metals, “especially cadmium,” in children’s products. While praising the removal of lead in children’s products, Tenenbaum encouraged manufactures in China to refrain from substituting cadmium, antimony or barium in place of lead.

“All of us should be committed to keeping hazardous or toxic levels of heavy metals out of surface coatings and substrates of toys and children’s products,” she says.

Later on in the speech, Tenenbaum notes that “Voluntary efforts will only take us so far.” She points out that CPSC staff has been working on testing protocols and lab accreditation rules for regulated children’s products. The agency will develop mandatory standards, as needed, to deal with heavy metals in children’s products.

CPSC staff has opened a formal investigation into children’s metal jewelry identified in a recent news story to determine the action CPSC needs to take to keep children safe."

This address for this post is: http://www.cpsc.gov/onsafety/2010/01/cpsc-chairmans-statement-on-cadmium...

"...Meuninck examines the toys using something that looks like a 'space gun'

"It's called an XRF, and it uses xray technology to tell us what chemicals are in the toys you brought here to be tested today. So we can see hazardous chemicals like lead, mercury and arsenic or cadmium which has been in the news a lot lately, and I can tell you in 30 seconds if they're in these toys" says Meuninck...

...State representative Ted Bledsoe is also at the toy testing event.

"Toys are played with by children, surely they're being regulated for chemicals already by the government?" asks Boyd-Barrett.

"Well actually they're not well regulated by the government," says Bledsoe, "Most of these toys are being imported from abroad, many of them are from Ch!na and the standards for the manufacture of toys in many of these other countries are not up to American standards, although even some of the toys produced in the United States and Canada have unacceptable levels of these dangerous substances."

 

In fact, lead is better regulated now than in the past. The federal government recently tightened limits on lead in toys. But Meuninck says increasingly that lead is being replaced by cadmium. Cadmium is a known carcinogen and can cause kidney damage and other problems...

...One of them was a leapfrog play table which tested high for lead. She threw it in the garbage...

...A package of bills pending in the Michigan Legislature goes some way to addressing concerns about toxic toys. It would make toy manufacturers put information about toxic chemicals found in their products into a public database.

Still, the onus would still be on parents to find out for themselves which toys are toxic..."

© Copyright 2010, Michigan Radio

How to Spot Toxic Toys

By Z. Padmore

It's the time of the year when children get excited and antsy. They know it's coming: the holiday in which you all exchanges gifts.

They've prepared an elaborate list of the new toys (advertised to them between cartoon commercials). And you're prepared this time as well. You've clipped the Toys "R" Us coupons and scoped the best deals at Walmart.

Then you're off to a discount store, Big Lots, Dollar Tree, or 99 cent store to fill the basket with little goodies.

But stop there. According to the Ecology Center, a health-advocacy group, one out of every five toys contains lead. Yes, lead - the substance that can lead to brain and nervous system damage.

Before you start your shopping, learn the warning signs of toxic toys.

Step 1

Know the common offenders. There are five chemicals that are known to cause allergies and even disease. These include lead, cadmium, arsenic, mercury and bromine. For those countries that mandate transparency, these chemicals are sometimes listed as components of the toy.

Step 2

Avoid polyvinyl chloride. That shiny vinyl-like substance on many clothing accessories is polyvinyl chloride (PVC). PVC is made from plastic run-off and can contain phthalates, which work similarly to human hormones.

Children's toys made with PVC were banned in Europe. In the United States, some companies have voluntarily ceased manufacturing them. However, products containing PVC are still widely manufactured in China, a major exporter of toys purchased in the United States. Look for the recycling code designated for this chemical (V 3).

Step 3

Avoid children's jewelry. Children's jewlery is often made with high amounts of PVC. That rubbery plastic that we've become accustomed to is actually dangerously loaded with chemicals. Avoid earrings, necklaces, and bracelets made of this cheap material.

Step 4

Look for toy certification. On the label, the toy will have a little note about the manufacturing country. It will also say "tested by" a government or another agency. Make sure this exists on the label or box of the toy. It will verify that it has been tested for harmful effects of dangerous chemicals.

Step 5

Research the toy before purchasing it. Healthy Stuff is a database listing over 1,000 toys. The site tests and grades toys, and reports on the chemical amounts for each one. Avoid Ice Age backpacks, which have a high level of PVC in them. Many Barbie accessories come up clean, listed as 'None' on the reports.

Step 6

Spend more; buy less. Many parents buy one big gift with smaller toys from discount stores to make holiday giving bountiful. This holiday season, choose three midpriced items that pass the Healthy Stuff tests. Pricier items with an assured safety save you in the long run. Don't forsake your children's health for thrift.

Australia bans toxic toys

By Sabra Lane for PM and staff

Posted Mon Jan 25, 2010 9:00pm AEDT

"...Consumer Affairs Minister Craig Emerson says any plastic baby products containing more than 1 per cent of diethylhexyl phthalate, known as DEHP, are now prohibited from sale in Australia.

Dr Emerson says he has made the decision because international research has linked the chemical to reproductive difficulties.

"We've banned a substance which is used in the softening of babies' toys out of a very precautionary approach," he said.

"The overseas evidence is that if this particular chemical substance were ingested by sucking on say a dummy or a soft toy for about three hours a day that could cause problems...

..."It's unlikely to happen but when it comes to the health of our children, of our infants, we must take a very precautionary approach."

..."[We want] to get ahead of the game so that people who are thinking of importing particular products can think again," he said..."

Toxic Toys Scrutinized Under Washington State Law

By GreenBiz Staff

Published February 08, 2010

"OLYMPIA, WA — Washington State's Department of Ecology launched at the end of January its pilot project to begin requiring manufacturers to disclose toxic ingredients in toys and other children's products.

The project launched with the publication of 66 chemicals that will fall under the scope of the Children's Safe Product Act (CSPA), signed into law in April 2008. With the publication of the chemicals list, lawmakers and manufacturers will work together to develop the most effective way to implement reporting requirements.

Once the pilot project is completed, the CSPA will require manufacturers to disclose whether any products intended for use by children contain any of these chemicals. The 66 chemicals currently on the list have been identified as toxic, present in human tissue, and present in children's toys..."