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Hot Topic: Toy Safety

Among the toy recalls of 2007: 1.5 million Thomas and Friends wooden railway toys and almost 1 million Fisher Price licensed character toys for a lead poisoning hazard; 1 million Mattel Doggie Daycare sets due to magnets coming loose; 675,000 Barbie accessory sets due to violation of lead paint standards. Parents struggling to track which of their child's toys may be tainted and concerned over how exposure to these toys may have affected their children are now finding it difficult to shop for the holidays. It is no wonder that "more than three-quarters of all adults agree that holiday purchases will be influenced by toy safety, and at least 25 per cent say they plan on omitting something on a child's Christmas list because they worry about safety."

Below you'll find resources to help you learn more about toy safety and what can be done to protect your children.

The real toy story : inside the ruthless battle for America's youngest consumers
Eric Clark.
New York : Free Press, c2007
338.47688/CLARK

How everyday products make people sick : toxins at home and in the workplace
Paul D. Blanc.
Berkeley : University of California Press, c2007
615.9/BLANC

Good toys, bad toys : how safety, society, politics and fashion have reshaped children's playthings
Andrew McClary.
Jefferson, N. C. : McFarland, 2004. 688.72/MCCLARY

A consumer's guide for selecting suitable toys : ages six through twelve
[Barbara Goodson and Martha Bronson].
Washington, DC : U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, [2002].
Y 3.C 76/3:8 T 66/3/2002
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/286.pdf

You're Not the Regulator of Me. Felcher, Marla. Mother Jones, Nov/Dec2007, Vol. 32 Issue 6, p30-32, 3p; (MasterFile Premier)http://motherjones.com/commentary/columns/2007/11/youre-not-the-regulator-of-me.html. (full text not available through MasterFile Premier)

For shoppers, a season of high anxiety; TAINTED TOYS: Recalls keep parents wrapped up in worries about lead paint from China. Dianna Marder. Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, Pa.: Sep 28, 2007. p. A.1 (ProQuest)

Citizen Vigilance Leads to Toy Recalls Louise Story. New York Times (Late Edition (East Coast)). New York, N.Y.: Nov 22, 2007. p. C.1 (ProQuest)

Groups Expose Hidden Toy Hazards; Products With Lead, Magnets Still for Sale Annys Shin - Washington Post Staff Writer. The Washington Post. Washington, D.C.: Nov 21, 2007. p. D.3 (ProQuest)

Consumer Reports' Twelve Tips for Buying Toys this Holiday Season. Anonymous. PR Newswire.New York: Nov 16, 2007. (ProQuest)

Bottlenecks in Toyland. Tschang, Chi-Chu. Business Week Online, Oct 5, 2007, p27-27, 1p; (MasterFile Premier)

Toy Execs: Safety Is Job One. Palmeri, Christopher. Business Week Online, Sept 14, 2007, p28-28, 1p; (MasterFile Premier)

Lead, Lead, Everywhere, What's Can Parents Do? Sloviter, Vikki. Pediatrics for Parents, 2007, Vol. 23 Issue 8, p13-14, 2p; (ProQuest)

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/babies-kids/child-safety/indoors/kids-and-lead/lead-in-childrens-products-12-07/overview/lead-ov.htm Consumer Reports tests for lead in toys, offers information about lead test kits, and provides tips on what consumers can do to reduce lead exposure.

http://www.cpsc.gov/recentrecalls.html Consumer Product Safety Commission: Recent Magnet Ingestion and Lead/Lead Paint Press Releases and Recalls

http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/category/toy.html Consumer Product Safety Commission: Toy Hazard Recalls

http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prerel.html Consumer Product Safety Commission: Search for recalls by product type, company, product description or hazard.

http://www.toyportfolio.com Oppenheim Toy Portfolio. Offers information about lead in toys and includes their 2008 Platinum Award Winning Toy List, all of which tested lead-free.

http://www.uspirg.org/issues/toy-safety Information regarding toy safety from U.S. PIRG, the federation of state Public Interest Research Groups (PIRGs). Includes their 22nd Annual Survey of Toy Safety.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/lead-poisoning/CC00082 "A Mayo Clinic specialist answers questions about toy recalls and lead poisoning."

http://www.mattel.com/safety Recall information from Mattel, maker of Fisher Price, Barbie, and Hot Wheels toys, among others.

http://www.toyinfo.org Toy Industry Association consumer website offers resources related to toy recalls and safety.

http://www.healthytoys.org A "consumer action guide to toxic chemicals in toys". Response to healthytoys.org from the Toy Industry Association.