Product Safety Reports

The recall of 45 million toys and other children’s products in 2007 and continued recalls in 2008 reminded Americans that no government agency tests toys before they are put on the shelves.

2007 was the year of the toxic toy, in which major toy companies recalled millions of toys due to lead contamination. Despite the recalls, testing of 1,200 toys by the Washington Toxics Coalition, the Michigan-based Ecology Center and others in late 2007 found that the problem hasn’t been solved: more than a third of the toys tested positive for lead, and nearly 50% were made of PVC (polyvinyl chloride, also known as vinyl), a plastic associated with the use of toxic additives. The testing also revealed that toys made of PVC were more likely to contain toxic metals such as lead and cadmium.

Toys are safer than ever before, thanks to decades of work by product safety advocates and parents and the leadership of Congress, state legislatures and the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). Nevertheless, as parents venture into crowded malls this holiday season, they should remain vigilant about often hidden hazards posed by toys on store shelves.