Have A Very Toxic Christmas

Oh, this is just great! Even for kids like mine, who aren’t insanely focused on fitting everything they get their hands on into their mouths, the parents of a toddler spend an inordinate amount of time yanking fingers, toys and anything else out of the ol’ food hole.

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.

“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 report is rebutted by the toy industry, but that’s to be expected.

“The Toy Industry Association finds the report from Healthytoys.org is misleading to consumers, at best,” according to a statement on the company’s Web site.

“The truth is toys are a highly regulated industry that has been subject to even more intense scrutiny - from industry, retailers, government and consumer organizations - in the past 18 months,” the association said in its statement. “TIA members are always working hard to ensure that toys sold in the U.S. meet or exceed all safety standards - so consumers can be confident in the safety of toys.”

Luckily (?), the play jewelry that stands among the worst offenders on the list is something that’s generally not present in our home. Apparently Hanna Montana wants your kids to get sick, presumably so that they can increase her ratings by watching her show from their hospital bed.

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.