Recall Alert: Beware of Toxic Toys - December 2006

The city of San Francisco issue a ban last week on the sale of certain plastic toys aimed at children under 3 and many safety activists are warning holiday shoppers in the most alarming terms against buying them.

Why?

According to Rachel Gibson of Environment California, as quoted in Time magazine: “Sucking on some of these teethers and toys is like sucking on a toxic lollipop.”

At issue are contaminants in plastics used to make the toys. Some of these chemicals, may experts believe, can leach out and harm children. Time magazine linked these chemicals in animal studies to birth defects, cancer and developmental abnormalities. These warnings are disputed, of course, by the chemical industry.

The European Union has banned some chemicals in toys since 1999, and now half a dozen state legislatures are considering similar laws.

The controversy involves a group of chemicals called phthalates (“thalates”) which are used to soften vinyl, and on bisphenol A (BPA), a substance used to make clear and shatterproof plastic. Most of these chemicals are known to be so-called endocrine disrupters, capable of interfering with hormones. Hundreds of animal studies have linked these chemicals to prostate and breast cancers, abnormal genitals, early puberty onset and obesity. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and several universities found that boys born to mothers with higher phthalate levels are far more likely to show altered genital development, linked to incomplete testicular descent.

What can you do?

The problem for parents is that the U.S. does not require manufacturers to disclose ingredients in most consumer products. The following products were found to include these potentially dangerous chemicals and, we believe, should be avoided. Do not buy or use these products:

• Sesame Street Bath Book (Random House)
• Rubber Duck (Sold by Walgreen)
• Baby Bottle with Fish (Walgreen brand)
• Rattle with caterpillar (Baby Einstein/Disney)
• Fun Ice Soothing Ring (Munchkin, Inc.)
• Fuzzy Fleece Baby (Goldberger Doll)
• Little Remedies Teether (Prestige Brands)

This page only lists some of the recent recalls of potentially dangerous products. To find out about other product recalls, visit the federal Consumer Product Safety Commission website at www.cpsc.gov.