1 in 3 toys contain toxic chemicals

It's nearly the same story that we told you a year ago: The Ecology Center has released research this week which reports that 1 in 3 toys contain lead, cadmium, arsenic or mercury.

While levels of lead in toys is decreasing, too many toys still contain chemicals which can cause health issues in children -- especially because they put many toys in their mouths or have very close contact with them. Bobbi Chase Wilding, director of Clean New York told the Times Union, "It's good news that lead levels are dropping, but alarming to see other toxic chemicals continuing to be used. The problem of toxic chemicals in products is more widespread than just lead."

Sarah Uhl of Coalition for a Safe & Healthy Connecticut talked to the New Britain Herald about this report, emphasizing the role of states in protecting their citizens. "In the absence of a federal toxic chemical law able to protect health, states like Connecticut are leading the way ... It’s time to enact strong reforms that phase out the worst toxins, particularly from children’s products."

Kathleen Schuler, co-director of Healthy Legacy, said,

"The regulations that regulate industrial chemicals right now do not protect us. The environmental protection agency has only required testing on 200 chemicals of the thousands that are out there."

Before you buy toys for your family this holiday season, please use the widget in this blog post to be sure that you are buying them safe toys. A pink lunchbox for your kindergartener would likely be much safer than a princess lunchbox loaded with chlorine and cadmium.