Made in the USA

Beth Janicek

Attorney
(866) 735-1102 Ext 395

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The news may focus on toxic toys from China, but that does not mean they are the only country manufacturing toys containing dangerous chemicals and toxins. In fact one of the highest lead-containing items of children’s products tested was a Halloween pumpkin pin made right here in the United States.

The Ecology Center, a Michigan-based nonprofit organization, and partners across the country recently released their 2^nd annual consumer guide to toxic chemicals in toys which can be found at HealthyToys.org. The Center found lead in 20 percent of the toys they tested, and some of those lead levels were higher than the federal recall standard for lead paint, and the levels of lead the toys tested were well above that recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

So what’s the most contaminated toy? Children’s jewelry tops the list as worst because of the high level of toxins. For any parent who has seen their child stick a toy necklace in their mouth, this can be unsettling. We worry about dirt and germs when the little ones like to “taste” their toys, but we also need to find out which toxic toys to avoid.

The Ecology Center’s Jeff Gearhart wrote, “There is simply no place for toxic chemicals in children's toys. Our hope is that by empowering consumers with this information, manufacturers and lawmakers will feel the pressure to start phasing out the most harmful substances immediately, and to change the nation’s laws to protect children from highly toxic chemicals."