New ruling improves toy safety, but not before holidays

The Consumer Product Safety Commission's general counsel released a new ruling that creates tougher lead and phthalate standards for toy makers. The ruling sets a more stringent lead standard for toys sold in the U.S., regardless of where the toys were made, according to an article in the Washington Post.

All children's products will have to meet the new standard by Feb. 10. That means many stores and toy manufacturers will try to sell off their inventory of products that don't meet the new standard by then.

After Feb. 10, inventory that doesn't meet the standard will likely have to be destroyed.

"This holiday season is 'buyer beware,' " said Ed Mierzwinski, consumer program director for U.S. PIRG, a Washington advocacy group.

After Feb. 10, 2009, children's products must have a total lead content below 600 parts per million. The limit drops to 300 parts per million in July 2009 and to 100 parts per million in three years.

The new product safety law also ban certain types of phthalates, a chemical used in plastics. Phthalates have been linked to reproductive problems. Some experts say the phthalates ban will be more problematic for the children's product industry because the chemical is more prevalent in products than lead is.

Several large companies are ahead of both rulings. Wal-Mart and Toys R Us have already pledged to phase phthalates out of their products. Toymaker RC2 is already eliminating inventory that doesn't meet the new lead standard and Toys R Us says their products already meet the new lead standard.