Although millions of toys have been recalled this year, toys containing toxic ingredients are still on store shelves. So how does a holiday shopper choose safer products? On Wednesday, December 5 the Michigan-based Ecology Center - the same group that released the first-ever consumer guides to toxic chemicals in cars and child car seats - will be releasing new research on over 1,200 toys in collaboration with the Washington Toxics Coalition and other leading environmental health groups across the country. At
www.healthytoys.org parents will be able to easily check how products rank from highest to lowest in terms of lead, cadmium and other chemicals that are associated with reproductive problems, developmental and learning disabilities, hormone problems and cancer.
Toys made with PVC, or polyvinyl chloride, were also tested because they often contain phthalates and other hazardous chemical additives. Babies and young children are the most vulnerable to toxic chemicals since their brains and bodies are still developing and because they frequently put toys into their mouths. "It's not just lead and it's not just toys made in China," said Tracey Easthope, MPH, Director of the Ecology Center's Environmental Health Project. "There is virtually no government oversight on any chemicals used to make any children's products - even those made in the United States."
With millions of toys on the market it was impossible to test them all, however site visitors will be able to nominate other products to be tested. The most commonly requested items will be tested each week leading up to Christmas.
To sample the toys experts used a portable X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) analyzer that identifies the elemental composition of any material in less than 30 seconds. This is much more accurate than the lead-testing kits available in hardware stores. In conjunction with the national release of healthytoys.org, media events will be taking place in several states around the country on Wednesday Dec. 5 including California, Connecticut, Maine, Minnesota, New York and Washington. Please visit heatlhytoys.org for detailed information about events in each state. Also available at HealthyToys.Org will be a list of action items that consumers can take to urge the government and toy manufacturers to phase out toxic chemicals immediately and replace them with readily-available, safe alternatives.
