Lead in Children's Toys

  Lead paint on children's toys. It is scary to think that the toys our children play with could be tainted with lead. Although many toys are perfectly safe, no parent wants to risk giving their child a toy that could cause serious health problems. Recently, there has been widespread controversy surrounding some of our biggest toy companies, Mattel and Fischer-Price, for example. During the Christmas season of 2007, Mattel had to recall thousands of toys like Dora the Adventurer, Barbies, and Hot Wheels. Hazardous amounts of lead paint were found on these toys. The toys had been manufactured in China, where several testing and saftey steps had been bypassed.

What are the safety regulations for lead in children's toys? Toys in this country are regulated by the Consumer Saftey Protection Commission (CPSC), and if toys may come into contact with food (like a tea set), they are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The CPSC is not a part of the federal government.

According to the CPSC, the only permissable amount of lead in a toy is less than 0.06%. If you are re-painting a toy, crib, or other product for a child, make sure that you read the label on the paint you use, even if it claims to be "nontoxic" (look for a lead content of less than 0.06%). Crayons, chalk and other toys sometimes say "nontoxic," but you should check the list of recalled toys to make sure that these toys are safe.

What toys have been recalled for lead hazards? For a complete and regularly updated list of recalled toys and products for children, click here. This list is created by the New York Health Department and this list is the most current for the year 2008.

According to the book Lead is a Silent Hazard (1994), Richard M. Stapelton explains that, "Toys don't have to be old to be dangerous (p. 162)." The lead paint ban of 1978 includes lead paint being used on toys, but instances of its continued use are usually linked with toys manufactured overseas. The Hazardous Substances Act attempts to support the lead ban by specifying the illegality of lead in crayons, chalk, and all other products for children that are not necessarily painted.

If you have a quetion about a product, call the CPSC hotline at (800) 369-CPSC.

If you want to find out where to get your children tested for elevated blood lead levels in Tucson, AZ, contact the Southwest Fair Housing Council at (520) 798-1568.