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Tip of the Week

By Solvie Karlstrom | All Posts

Test toys for lead

9:40 pm - September 5, 2007

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With toys being recalled by the tanker truck load, The Green Guide suggests a simple way to check your kids' toys for lead: Buy testing kits from leadcheck.com. LeadCheck® Swabs are non-hazardous and provide a rapid, sensitive and specific test for leachable lead on any solid surface including paint, ceramics, vinyl lunch boxes, miniblinds...and toys (800-262-5323; $18.45 for an eight-swab lead test). Lead test kits, however, can give misleading results if proper procedures aren't followed. Be sure to rough up surfaces before swabbing them and apply more pressure over a longer period of time when testing vinyl. Testing by an independent lab is a more reliable, if more expensive, method.

When shopping for new toys, look for unfinished solid wood items (or those finished with linseed oil, tung oil or beeswax). Those made in America and labeled as lead-free are also a safer option. For more tips on choosing toys that are kid- and planet-safe, check out the Toy Product Report.

© The Green Guide, 2008

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Lead Test Kits Effective?
posted by caroleebol on 2007-09-20 21:32:46  

Hi, I had read elsewhere that home lead test kits (the kind available at hardware stores) are only about 60% effective. From the "Test Toys For Lead" article on this site, the suggestion is to use a home testing kit from leadcheck. Perhaps leadcheck's kits are more effective? I can call the company though would love to hear if anyone has any insights in to this and what everyone is doing about this (other than buying unpainted toys). Other than tossing all of my toddler's toys (as I wouldn't want to give them away in the event that they do contain lead, I'm just giving it to someone else's kid!), it'd be great if there were a fairly simple and cheap way to test them all. :)

Thanks! Carolee

Test Toys for Lead - Look Into Inspect-A-Toy, Inc.
posted by ISPYLEAD on 2008-01-12 01:38:38  

The CPSC recently announced that at home test kits, like the ones mentioned above are inaccurate and completely unreliable. I would recommend a company that uses a laboratory-grade device to check for lead. Our company, as seen on Daybreak OC and featured in the Orange County Register and MSNBC, "Inspect-A-Toy, Inc. Trails Toxic Toys", screens children's toys, jewelry & any other consumer product for the presence of lead throughout all of California. Inspect-A-Toy is an in-home service, but also serves daycare facilities, activity centers, schools and toy/pet stores. Instead of throwing out your kid's favorite toys, have them screened professionally. We can screen children's toys, cribs, bath toys, toothbrushes, utensils, highchairs, etc. and it's quick, accurate and safe.

You can find us online at www.Inspectatoy.com or you can reach us by email at info@inspectatoy.com. Hope it helps.


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