article: One in 3 toys in toxic (online toy locator)

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One in 3 toys is toxic, group says

Environmental group says many items for sale have high levels of

lead, arsenic and other chemicals.

By Clifford, CNNMoney.com staff writer

December 3, 2008: 2:57 PM ET

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- One in three toys tested was found to

contain toxic chemicals such as lead, flame retardants and arsenic,

according to a report issued Wednesday by an environmental group.

Researchers for the Michigan-based Ecology Center tested more than

1,500 popular toys for lead, cadmium, arsenic, PVC and other harmful

chemicals. They said they found that one-third of the toys

contain " medium " or " high " levels of chemicals of concern.

In February, new regulations from the Consumer Product Safety

Commission will make some of the toys now available for purchase

illegal to sell, according to a press release from the group.

" Our hope is that by empowering consumers with this information,

manufacturers and lawmakers will feel the pressure to start phasing

out the most harmful substances immediately, and to change the

nation's laws to protect children from highly toxic chemicals, " said

Ecology Center's Jeff Gearhart, who led the research, in a written

release.

The study found lead in 20% of the toys tested. In 3.5% of the toys,

or 54 items, levels of lead exceeded the federal recall level for

paint, 600 parts-per-million.

Also according to the study, children's jewelry is 5 times more

likely to contain lead above the toxic 600 ppm-level than other toys.

In particular, the report mentioned that several Hannah Montana brand

jewelry items tested high for lead.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children's toys

have less than 40 parts-per-million of lead. The levels of lead

detected in " many " of the toys was " significantly " above those

guidelines, according to the release.

The study does not associate country of origin with the presence of

toxic chemicals. According to the release, 21% of toys from China and

16% of toys from all other countries had detectable levels of lead.

Of the 17 toys made in the United States that were tested, 35% had

detectable levels of lead. A U.S.-made Halloween pumpkin pin had

190,943 ppm of lead.

The report found that 62% of the tested products - or 954 items -

contain low levels of chemical concern. And 21% of the products

tested - or 324 items - contained no toxic chemicals to be worried

about.

Ecology Center, a nonprofit group, said the study was conducted with

several partners. The results were posted at HealthyToys.org.

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