Following news reports in late 2007 about toys contaminated with lead, cadmium, and other hazardous chemicals, new laws and programs were set up.  But hazardous products are still being sold in stores across the US.  Toxic chemicals and unsafe designs remain in toys imported China and other countries.  Links to information, groups, and resources are provided below.  These can be used with information from news reports and careful inspection of toys before purchasing to avoid many unsafe toys. 

 

Topics include:   

 age-appropriate needs

 hazardous ingredients

 physical dangers from poor design

 

Information is also provided on guidelines, regulations, and recalls, pet toy safety, used toys, and becoming more involved in toy safety.  

       Age-Appropriate Toys

   Toys that are safe for older children may pose serious hazards for young children.  Package warnings can help, but are not always included. 

   Jacks are an example of toys that are safe for older, but not younger children.  They provide an inexpensive game that teaches hand-eye coordination and collaborative play, but pose a choking hazard for young children.  Magnet games, science kits, and school magnet projects are fund and education for older children, but can be deadly for young children.  When eaten, they can migrate towards each other, causing internal damage and even death.  Magnets must be kept out of reach of all children who still put toys in their mouths (ee: magnetscankill.spaces.live.com )       Many toys require safety equipment, such as helmets. Some states require their use.  When buying toys and sports equipment, include appropriate safety equipment that fits the child.         

 

Many organizations offer guidelines on choosing safe toys, including:

* American Academy of Pediatrics

* Retail and federal collaboration:  www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/grand/toy/toysafe.html

* Other guidelines:  kidshealth.org/parent/growth/learning/safe_toys.html 

 

  Hazardous Ingredients   

There is not yet effective screening to prevent harmful ingredients in children's products, so lead, arsenic, cadmium and other dangerous chemicals that continue to occur in toys.  The new law requiring more action by the Consumer Product Safety Commission will not begin to take effect until 2009.              

 

LINKS TO INFORMATION ON HAZARDOUS INGREDIENTS

This section includes links to information on hazardous ingredients found in toys, the harm that can occur, approaches to controling hazardous ingredients used in various countries, examples of test results, and links to organizations addressing hazardous ingredients.  We could provide information on just a few of the many toxic chemicals found in toys, but some links provide information on additional chemicals.  

 

In addition to traditional hazards like lead, new hazards are being found in toys, and hazardous waste is used in some commercial products.  For example, electronic waste is shipped from the US to China, as CBS reported recently in "The Electronic Wasteland" link, and can be used in products.  

          

 

Cadmium was not thought to be in children's products until October 2007 when we found it in small children's trinkets from numerous stores. It is internationally recognized as highly toxic to children and adults and has an EPA limit in water that is lower than the limit for lead. 

* Health and scientific information at the SUNY Albany Institute of Environmental Health:  www.albany.edu/ihe/Cadmium.htm

* Government information, including international limits in toys on this page .  The European Union limit is strict, indicating a high hazard.

* Reports on Cadmium in typical products containing toxic heavy metals: NYEJLP

 

Lead continues to be found in children's products. 

* Information on lead and other toxic chemicals that continue to occur in children's products is provided at:   Protect Our Kids   

 

Other Toxic Heavy Metals   We tested for other toxic metals and found arsenic, chromium, manganese, and other hazardous metals in children's items: NYEJLP

           

Phthalates, bisphenol-A and other newly regulated chemicals will be addressed by CPSC actions in the future, but are still found in baby and children's products.  Items we tested that had high concentrations include baby bibs and other flexible items for babies, balls, plastic balloon kits, and other soft plastic toys for all ages.  Many organizations and agencies are addressing this in anticipation of federal action.  For example,  www.healthytoys.org includes information from multiple groups, but requires that you sign in and does not include toy design safety information or many of the toxic metals).

 

***DISPOSAL - If an item contains toxic chemicals, it should be disposed of according to local regulations to avoid contaminating land and water.

       

Hazardous Design

        

Some toys are made without considering how children play, and so have sharp points or edges, contents that are flammable or easily break off, or have other dangerous features.  For example, some “squishy balls” are dangerous for all ages because they can ignite if thrown near a heat source.  Some decorations that are not designed for children appear to be toys and so are played with by children, as with the pupet decoration above that has parts which could pose a choking hazard.

Links on Hazardous Design             

Many organizations have evaluated various aspects of hazardous design, and some focus on specific types of products or dangers.

 

Consumer Union: www.consumersunion.org/products.html

CPSC on toy hazards (pg 3+) www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/cpsr_nws29.pdf

Cribs and other products: www.keepingbabiessafe.org/ 

Kids in Danger www.kidsindanger.org/prodhazards/index.asp

Safe kids: sk.convio.net/site/PageNavigator/Campaigns/ToySafety/campaignToySafety

Toy issues related to eyesight:  www.preventblindness.org 

 Underwriters Labs: www.ul.com/seasonal/opdec/toys.html

Water YoYo Dangers: www.dangersofwateryoyos.com

Check safety of arts & crafts materials Simple puffer balls can be dangerous

Hazards for Pets

Pets, like young children, are curious and put most things in their mouths.  Keeping them safe includes protecting them from dangerous children's and pet toys, as well as products containing hazardous ingredients.  Many of the same hazards that can harm children and pets, including toxic chemicals, sharp edges, pieces that can chewed or or be torn off, choking hazards, and other problems described above.  Balls containing toxic chemicals (e.g., squishy balls) are particularly dangerous, as are batteries, magnets, and other small hazardous items. 

 

* National Veterinary Poison Control Center/ASPCA

 

* Dog Owner Guide's Poison Control Information

 

Consequences  

If you have been working on toy safety for some time, move past this page.  For people who think the problems are overstated, it is worth pointing to a few facts.

 

Lead.  Tens of thousands of children have too much lead in their bodies due to contamination in their homes, toys, water systems and air, leading to nervous system damage, cardiovascular and kidney damage, and other types of harm.  In the worst cases, children can die, as reported by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control in 2006,  when a 4 year old died after eating a small charm with high lead levels. 

 

Deaths.  Each year the CPSC issues a list of toy-related deaths.  www.cpsc.gov   

Serious Injuries and Illnesses.  220,500 toy-related injuries and emergency room visits occurred in 2006 and 40 percent involved children under five according to the CPSC.  www.cpsc.gov

   Breadth of the problem.  Hazardous toys can be found in malls, small stores, groceries, drug stores,  catalogs, and other places.  120 retailers, manufacturers and suppliers were party to an agreement with California's Attorney General's Office regarding lead.  This is a widespread problem that requires attention.

Regulations,

recalls, & related information

In most developed countries there are strict regulations to insure children are protected from hazardous products.  There are links below to guidelines, discussions, and other documents related to toy safety and to the new Consumer Product Safety Commission law.  Some guidelines are also provided in the links above for specific chemicals such as lead and cadmium above.

  Toy standards around the world.   

NAZDAR provides information on toy standards, voluntary limits, and related information.  Scroll down to “Toy Specifications”.   

American Society for Testing & Materials (ASTM) provides guidance for toy safety and other product specifications (toy article in newsletter ). 

VOLUNTARY SAFETY STANDARDS FOR TOY COATINGS (e.g., paint)  (ASTM F 963–96a)

ASTM developed limits on the amount of varous toxic chemicals that could be present in paint on toys as voluntary guidelines.  These do not reflect the most recent medical information, but provide an indication of guidelines used by some companies.

 

                                                              Element                             Percent                       parts per million (ppm)

 

 

 

   EUROPEAN CHEMICAL LIMITS FOR TOYS  

In 2006 the European Union published some chemical exposure limits and ways to develop safe limits that uses scientific information and is similar to USEPA’s approach for drinking water limits.  Many  US-made toys can not be sold in Europe due to child-protection policies www.tdctrade.com/alert/eu0604c.htm 

 

Product recalls  

Recalls are issued by the Consumer Product Safety Commission under some conditions, but they frequently don't issue recalls when notified of hazards. 

*  The CPSC recall link is provided for reference but is not a list of all unsafe toys.

* The Consumer Union lists recalls from multiple federal agencies.

* Recalls from all government agencies, US Department of Transportation, EPA, USDA, CPSC: www.recalls.gov

 

Used Toys          

Reusing and recycling toys makes sense if they are checked for safety.  In addition to checking the recall list, and reviewing the kinds of toys that have frequently caused harm, used toys should be inspected for pieces that are lose or damaged and could come off, causing injury or a choking hazard.  The handmade toy (above) from a thrift shop has metal bells and other parts that can come lose and be swallowed. 

 

        Toys Made In America and Beyond     

Products made in the USA are more carefully reviewed than in some countries.  A partial list of companies that make toys in the USA is: www.toysmadeinamerica.com  The regulation section above describes strict controls in the European Union on many children's products, which should provide greater safety than many other import sources.

     

          Take Action and Share Information

   Making your Voice Heard  

People of all ages care about the safety of children and communities.  School-age children and adults can work to improve product safety by learning about issues, writing, blogging, and talking with others about the issues and ways bring about positive change.  Government agencies respond when enough people demand action.  We encourage people to work collaboratively within their communities, to contact retailers who sell unsafe products, to provide information to local newpapers and their political representatives about safe and unsafe products. 

 

For links to the press, Congress, other organizations and resources, see:  www.everyvoicecounts.net  Organizations working on health and safety and links to technical, medical, and scientific information can be found at www.Sciencecorps.org

 

      School Tools              

A high school science class module was developed for testing toys for lead and cadmium uses standard chemistry laboratory equipment:  adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2005jChEd..82..611B  Testing is not complicated or expensive.  The school module, published in 1997, also makes it very clear that the presence of cadmium and lead in toys has been a well-known problem.  There is no reason not to require basic tests that can protect our children.  In the absence of adequate federal action, communities can use local resources to protect children.

 

Sharing Information

If you have information on unsafe toys, helpful ideas for selecting toys, links to organizations working on this issue, or other suggestions, please share it with others and if you have time, send it to us electronically at: judybraiman@frontiernet.net or via mail to Judy Braiman, 50 Landsdowne Lane, Rochester, New York 14618.

 

This website was developed at the request of the Empire State Consumer Project, Judy Braiman, President.  We have no financial interest in the information provided or in toy safety.  This is purely a labor of love by moms and dads, aunts and uncles, college students and others who want children to have safe toys and families to have peace of mind.

Copyright 2008 Empire State Consumer Project, Rochester, New York