With millions of Americans shopping for toys, we thought this would be a good time to shed some light on the concerns consumers have about LEAD–and other chemicals–in children’s toys. In Part 1 we overview some of the recent events that have resulted in elevated worry over toys and what’s being done to counter the problem, and in Part 2 we outline how you, as a buyer, can use new tools to keep chemicals away from your kids.

In late 2007, following the recall of millions of toys due to high levels of lead, tests found that 35 percent of children’s toys–the vast majority not yet recalled–contained lead in levels higher than that of the federal recall standard for lead paint. With the more than 21 million toys that had been recalled by Mattel, tests done by Mattel itself had found lead in levels up to 200 times the accepted limit.

The recall and the findings set off a veritable snow ball-effect, suddenly lead was being pointed out in a variety of children’s (and adult’s) products–some recalled and some not. Consumers, especially concerned parents, began to question what was really in the toys they gave their children and all-natural wooden toys with naturally-made sealants and paints received a sudden spike in popularity.

In addition to fears about the harmful affects of such large amounts of lead and phthalates on developing bodies, attention began to focus on other potentially dangerous chemicals such as cadmium, chlorine, arsenic, bromine and mercury–things you picture being used in labs but rarely consider laying down in your baby’s crib. Because of the on-everything-and-in-everything nature of child play and the delicate developmental state of young ones, the risks of chemicals in toys is often considered to be much higher than the risk of those chemicals in products used by adults (though we hesitate to believe anyone’s keen on arsenic in their goods).

Thanks to the action of parents and plenty of media focus, however, the government has taken the matter very seriously and in August of this year Congress passed the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA). So what’s the long-named law really about? The CPSIA does a few things: First, it increases the budget of the Consumer Product Safety Commission and, in turn, enables them to impose new testing and documentation requirements for manufacturers. Next, it sets new lower acceptable levels for several substances, including lead. Finally, it lays out new requirements for manufacturers of a wider range of goods and both increases fines and specifies jail time for certain violations. In short, the CPSIA turns a spotlight on toy manufacturers and gets tough on toys.

While it’s easy to appreciate many of the benefits of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, there are some difficulties to getting things going. The time line for testing means manufacturers will have to be ready to complete third-party test at dates that range from December 21 of this year to September of 2009, and because of their manufacturing cycles, both small and large manufacturers are arguing that those may be impossible deadlines (which could result in fines for the companies). Also, manufacturers are arguing for single-component testing instead of finished product testing; for example, if a manufacturer uses cotton fabric, metal buttons and ribbon trim in a variety of products they want those products to be tested separately instead of having to run tests on each variety of finished product. This, they say, will not only save money and time but will also help with finding harmful components, as a button with lead in it would, on its own, probably not pass testing, but as part of a larger product may come out as a lower percentage of lead and be acceptable–even though a child could still consume the lead button on its own.

Ultimately, the important thing is that a sadly under-inspected area of industry will now be regulated and checked, even though it may take some time to get the process running smoothly.

Check back with us tomorrow for the scoop on how you can use the CPSIA and other tools to make sure every toy in your house is kid-safe.

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