Fresh Finds

Healthy Toys

Is your daughter's Hannah Montana doll starting to look a little sickly against the backdrop of all the recent toy recalls? If you visit HealthyToys.org, a new website devoted to toy safety testing, you might be able to diagnose her with a dangerous coating of heavy-metal-laden paint or with a bad case of PVC plastic riddled with phthalates.

Organized by the Ann Arbor, Michigan Ecology Center, healthytoys.org is a growing database of toys tested for lead, cadmium, arsenic and mercury (yes, that too crops up in vinyl backpacks and bath toys) as well as chlorine, which indicates the presence polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic--which could contain hormone disrupting phthalates. Products are assigned a "Low/Medium/High" hazard ranking based upon the levels of each chemical, which were defined by previously set standards from the ASTM, Consumer Product Safety Commission, American Academy of Pediatrics, Canada, Japan, the E.U. government and various European environmental-standard organizations.

So far, the database is relatively small, with only 1,500 toys in the initial testing--any parent who's been dragged through a Toys R Us store will know that's a mere drop in the ocean of the cheap toys kids salivate over. But you can nominate toys to be tested, so it's sure to grow over time. Their diligent efforts do, however, highlight some serious issues about the lack of government oversight in product safety exacerbated by the overwhelming volume of cheap stuff for sale on store shelves. Suddenly, those $1 dollar-store knock-offs aren't so enticing. To account for all this lack of regulation, you can e-mail senators or individual toy manufacturers directly from the site and ask them for safer toys.

In spite of all the current scares, lead in toys is nothing new. In a recent Boston Globe article, one environmental scientists noted, "it's just that we're taking notice of it now." When you're shopping this season, keep a few of Consumer Reports' tips in mind. Avoid vintage toys and don't buy jewelry of any kind for young children. Get kids to eat healthier--children with good diets absorb less lead, according to the National Safety Council.

© The Green Guide, 2008

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