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2. Is it Safe? Making informed judgements
about hazards in toys and other products for your children.
The nature of the hazard
(and what you can do about it)
Once again we are reminded that toys and other
children's item can present hidden hazards. The New York Times reported on
February 11, 2008 that a Medela-brand cooler for storing breast milk, a carrying
case sold with the First Years breast pump manufactured by RC2, a Playtex baby
bottle cooler and a vinyl pacifier carrying case made by Skip Hop were found to
contain lead. The lead concentrations ranged from 1,100 to 5,500 parts per
million (ppm) by weight, roughly six times the Federal Consumer Products Safety
Commission (CPSC) legal maximum of 600 ppm or .06% by weight.
(http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/11/business/11toy.html
)
Since the reports of lead in the paint on Thomas toy
trains in June, 2007 (http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml07/07212.html) ,
there has been a steady flow of similar bad news about unsafe products for
children. In August, 2007, Mattell recalled nearly one million toys, including
Sesame Street and Nickelodeon characters such as Elmo Tub Sub, the Dora the
Explorer Backpack, and the Giggle Gabber
(www.nytimes.com/2007/08/15/business/worldbusiness/15imports.html
, www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml07/07257.html),
mostly for the presence of lead in the paint, In one case, strong magnets
attached to products such as Polly Pocket, Doggie Day Care, Batman, One
Piece, and Barbie toys were found to be loose, presented potentially a fatal
hazard if swallowed.
In August, 2007, lead was found in vinyl (PVC) baby
bibs (www.nytimes.com/2007/08/15/business/15lead.html).
Initially, the CPSC declined to issue a product recall for this item, claiming,
as did the manufacturer and the retailer, Toys"R"Us, that the
available lead did not present a hazard to infants.
One consistent element here is the Chinese origin of
most or all of these products. In just the past year, there have been
several notorious discoveries of dangerous contaminants in products of Chinese
manufacture, including a fake protein supplement in pet food, resulting in the
deaths of some pets in the U. S. and Canada. Diethylene glycol, a poison,
subsitituted for (and labelled as) glycerine in tooth paste and drugs has caused
mass poisonings in Panama, China, Haiti, Bangladesh, Argentina, Nigeria and
twice in India.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/06/world/06poison.html
There is a sense that the current business ethic in some sectors of
Chinese industry is one of economic expedience at the expense of quality and
safety. Chinese industrialists have candidly admitted that they substitute
petroleum-derived melamine for nutritional protein in livestock and pet food,
since “It just saves money if you add melamine scrap,” according to one
manager of an animal feed factory. “If you add it in small quantities, it won’t
hurt the animals. Pets are not like pigs or chickens, they don’t need to grow
fast.” Even Mattell, who owns most of its Chinese factories, staffs them
with American managers, and has greater economic leverage than any other toy
company, has had problems with quality control.
The toy and plastics industries say that lead in
plastic is not a health hazard and that the lead in the plastic is not
accessible. Industry spokespersons claim that lead in vinyl is not
accessible for ingestion, and in any case, has not been used as a stabilizer for
some years. These statements are factually incorrect.
Despite product specifications forbidding the use of
lead-based paints, the subcontractors supplying their factories have
occasionally provided lead-pigmented paints. And despite claims by toy
manufacturers to the contrary, lead is still being used as a stabilizer for PVC
(vinyl) toys.
If lead in such high concentration was found in the PVC
products listed in the various news reports (High Lead Levels Are Found in Vinyl
Plastic Baby Products, NY Times, 2/11/2008:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/11/business/11toy.html )
then lead is sometimes still used as a stabilizer for the inherently unstable
polyvinyl chloride polymer. It has become abundantly clear that small Chinese
manufacturers approach quality control and adherence to recipe as a matter of
convenience, so that formal specifications for the polymer may be adhered to and
may occasionally not.
A lead salt used as a PVC stabilizer is in fact
continuously available
on the surface of the vinyl product as a dust, since the lead is not
chemically bound to the polymer. Mechanical stress such as flexing or impact
hastens the process. (This is equally true of the phthalate plasticizers, which
provide flexibility to the otherwise rigid PVC and are mechanically squeezed out
over time like water out of a sponge.)
Although the extent of the hazard to children depends
on how much of the available surface lead is actually ingested, the daily intake
in, say,
micrograms is not really an issue, since in developing nervous systems and
skeletons, lead toxicity is cumulative; ingestion over time is the real
issue. The obvious result is that there is no safe level of lead in
children's products.
Finally, our own governmental agencies may not be
providing the level of protection we expect from them; nor are children's
product manufacturers recognizing the hazards that may be posed by their own
products. The CPSC regulatory standard of 600 ppm is dangerously
high, since lead is a cumulative toxin, and is available from multiple sources
in a child's environment. Further, the CPSC is currently neither
sufficiently staffed or funded to provide the level of protection we need these
days, with so many children's products of doubtful safety being imported into
the United States.
Their "study" ("CPSC Staff Study: Home
Lead Test Kits Unreliable", 10/22/2007, http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml08/08038.html )
which claims to have tested "commonly available lead test kits"
and found a high rate of inaccuracy, cannot be considered a proper scientific
report. The CPSC does not identify the kits used, nor does it provide any
description of the procedures used in testing the kits. This "study"
found only two false positive results (indicating lead where there is
none). Both were on red-painted objects, which test kit manufacturers
admit are hard to test. The presence of false negatives
We are using LeadCheck® Professional Test Kits, made
by Hybrivet Systems (Natick, MA: 800-262-5323 / http://www.leadcheck.com
). These tests indicate the presence of lead in surfaces with a concentration of
more than 2µ (micrograms) per 1 cm2 surface area. We score the
painted surface down to the substrate to expose as much of the coating as
possible, so we are not just testing the exposed surface. This is a qualitative
test that does not rule out the presence of lead in lower concentrations. Any
positive result using this test indicates a toy clearly not suitable for
children of any age. Lead is unlikely to be present in either paint or PVC
plastic as an accidental contaminant, but rather as a deliberately added
ingredient, and thus in sufficient concentration to be easily detected by the
LeadCheck® kit.
Hybrivet's head chemist has provided me with data
demonstrating the use of their kit to detect lead at the low 600 ppm limit
established by the CPSC. If the surface area over which the swab is rubbed
is increased to several square inches, and the time is increased from 30 seconds
to 2 minutes, extremely low levels of surface lead can be detected. Such surface
measurements may actually provide more useful data than laboratory tests which
dissolve the entire object and measure total lead content per weight, since it
is from the surface that most lead becomes available.
Reducing the Hazards: Practical steps you can take
Visual Inspection
Some hazards are fairly obvious upon visual
inspection. Loose parts, especially smaller parts on toys for children
younger than 3 years who still put things in their mouths, are hazardous.
A little stress test, such as pulling or wiggling parts that are stitched or
glued to the toy, will reveal poorly made items. Sharp edges, or toys that
are likely to reveal or produce sharp edges if damaged or broken, may be
unsuitable for very young children, although past a certain age, we feel that
children need to learn about real world hazards through direct experience in a
controlled and safe fashion. Furniture or toys meant for riding on should
be difficult to tip over even when ridden carelessly (again, this may not apply
to older children), and should withstand intended use and some degree of abuse
without sudden failure to support specified load. An example would be a bicycle
seat that should withstand extended abuse and impact without collapse. Careful
inspection of toys should reveal any such hazards.
Hidden Hazards: Toxic substances
These are much more difficult to identify. It is
this sort of danger that we rely on our governmental agencies to regulate,
identify, and correct. We also would like manufacturers to be ethical enough to
eliminate these hazards from their products. However, since most
"manufacturers" of children's goods, who are really just importers
relying on the lowest cost suppliers, apparently cannot control the input from
their various suppliers and their subcontractors, we as consumers must exercise
some judgement in choosing products for our households.
We are focusing here primarily on lead toxicity, since
it is the primary source of actual poisoning associated with presumably safe
toys, children's products, and other household items. Other hazards, such as
diethylene glycol in toothpaste or melamine in dog food, are probably more
likely to occur in cheap, unfamiliar brands. Sticking with premium name brands
is about the only strategy available, in addition to engaging in political
pressure for more stringent regulation.
Avoiding pre-packaged foods in favor of
fresh foods may also help, since it reduces the exposure to ingredients which,
although listed, may come from sources of doubtful integrity (i.e.,
China). Much of the farm-raised fish sold in American supermarkets
now comes from China. There have been reports of contamination of the water in
which these fish are raised.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/15/world/asia/15fish.html
Shoppers should be sure that farmed fish such as
catfish and tilapia do not originate in China. There is a significant
American fish farming industry that could be stimulated as as result.
It should be noted that there is renewed discussion in
Washington of imposing stricter standards for such things as lead content in
toys, although without a bigger budget and staff for the CPSC, this won't
do much good. China, aware of the economic threat posed by so much bad
news about Chinese products, has taken vigorous action in just the past few
months, closing hundreds of small factories, and requiring extensive inspection
and testing of products before they leave the country. However, China has far
too few laboratories able to provide the testing, resulting in shipments held up
on the dock in China. Some of Turnertoys' vendors have been unable to fill
our orders because of this; they can't get supplies of their own Chinese-made
products!
Lead is more likely to be present in painted toys, cheap cast metal jewelry,
and opaque PVC.
Lead has been been used for hundreds of years as the
preferred opacquing agent in paint. It provides more opacity for the cost than
any other material, and makes cheap, bright-colored paint possible. Lead
was used to paint American-made toys until fairly recently. This was
perfectly legal, as was the use of leaded housepaint. For this reason, old
collectible yard-sale toys are no safer for young children than the worst of the
Chinese recalls. If you have any of these old toys, a couple of coats of
Polyurethan varnish will help to seal the lead and make it inaccessible during
handling. Currently, the use of lead in paint for children's or other
household products or paints is illegal. Surface lead in paint is easy to test
with the LeadCheck® swab test kits.
Opacque, or colored PVC, may contain lead used as a
stabilizer or as a pigment (coloring agent). Clear PVC, while it contains
phthalate plasticizers, cannot contain lead. Other plastics such as
polyethylene or polypropylene, which are very common materials for toys, do not
require metal stabilizers, and may generally be considered entirely non-toxic. I
have not been able to find any evidence that lead or cadmium are used as
coloring agents for these plastics. Likewise, lead has not been associated with
polycarbonates, epoxies, acrylics, nylon, or urethane plastics.
Flexible (as opposed to rigid) PVC, which is mostly
where the reports of lead have surfaced, is a relatively heavy plastic
compared with the other common flexible plastic, polyethylene. A piece of PVC
will sink in water, where polyethylene floats or is has neutral buoyancy.
A somewhat hazardous heat test may be employed (use adequate ventilation for the
toxic fume): Polyethylene will melt fairly gracefully when heated with a
soldering iron, whereas PVC will blister, crack, and turn yellow.
Lead Carbonate is a highly effective and very cheap
stabilizer for PVC. It has generally been replaced by other metal salts, and at
least officially is used only in vinyl electrical insulation, and possibly vinyl
siding and other architectural products
It may be advisable to avoid PVC products for very
young children as much as possible. They are certainly not suitable for feeding
products, such as nipples, bottles, or bibs, and even less so for
pacifiers. Whether or not they contain lead, they must contain phthalates
to be flexible. There is growing evidence that phthalates may do harm to the
reproductive system health of very young children. Probably the best material
for bottle nipples is silicone, as long as it is medical grade. For utensils or
bottles, we suggest stainless steel as the chemically safest material.
If the kind of plastic is not identified on a package,
we suggest you call the manufacturer before purchasing. Make it clear that
without a complete identification of material, you will not buy any of their
products. Bear in mind that although lead may be officially excluded from the
product specs, there have been many reports, as detailed in this article, of
high levels found in PVC children's products. We believe that LeadCheck®
swab test kits can effectively detect the high levels of lead that would be
found in PVC, if any lead at all is present.
Lead is a cheap metal with a low melting point. It is
clearly an ideal metal, from a purely profit perspective, to use in cheap
children's jewelry. It may form the body of the item, with a coat of paint or a
shell of some other metal; or it may be mixed in an alloy with other metals.
This should be detectable with a swab test if the surface is cut through to
expose the material below.
Other sources of lead in the household
Lead is a preferred stabilizer for vinyl electric insulation,
both for AC cords and computer cables. Children may like to chew on these nicely
chewy materials, and are almost cetainly ingesting lead when they do so.
Lead is also available as dust on the surface of these wires.
Lead is part of the formulation for machineable brass,
such as that used in faucets. More expensive fixtures use a
"low-lead" brass, but still have some. All faucets should be run
for a few seconds before taking water for food or drinking to clear accumulated
dissolved lead in the standing water. Copper piping, on the other hand, is not a
hazard. The solder joints now use non-lead solder.
You are unlikely to find lead or other toxic
materials in wood finished with lacquer or varnish, i.e., not painted; or
items made with steel, aluminum, or plastics other than PVC (although we
recommend only polyethylene or polyproplyene for food service).
Other avoidable toxic hazards
In November, 2007, a children's toy craft product sold
under brand names including Bindeez, Aqua Dots and Aqua Beads, was found to be
responsible for incidents of poisoning in children who accidentally swallowed
them. The toy consists of packets of brightly colored beads that children
arrange into mosaics, then sprinkle with water; the beads stick together
in as little as 10 minutes to form durable artworks.
Consumers can limit these sorts of hazards by avoiding
toys that rely on clever or extraordinary chemical reactions to achieve their
result; and if these toys are given to children, the parents must ensure they do
not fall into the hands of children too young to understand safety warnings and
act in accordance with them. The Aqua Dots would have been perfectly safe had
they not been swallowed.
This is not to say that children should not have
chemistry sets, which should be purchased in an age-appropriate manner.
Much of the task of helping kids stay safe when they play consists in providing
toys that they are physically and cognitively ready for, and that they can play
with safely with a full understanding of the safe limits and cautions
involved. Materials that are a poisoning hazard to a two-year-old become
valuable resources in the hands of an eight- or twelve-year-old child. A
good example is an electronics kit, which requires a soldering iron (burn
hazard) and lead solder to assemble.
More reading:
http://www.turnertoys.com/lead-hazard
http://www.turnertoys.com/pvc3Stabilizers.htm
http://www.turnertoys.com/Polymer_update20051009.htm
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