VPIRG issues annual warning on toxic and dangerous toys

November 26, 2008

MONTPELIER – The Pony Land Scented Pony Pet seems innocent enough.

The little filly's golden mane comes with an adorable red barrette (shaped like a butterfly!); a little comb, included at no extra cost, lets little boys and girls style her pretty hair.

Pony Pet though, manufactured in China by a toymaker called JA-RU, Inc., contains heavy doses of a toxic chemical that can cause reproductive defects, low sperms counts and a host of other unpleasant side effects.

"People definitely have the impression that the government would not allow a product, particularly a toy, to be sold if it weren't safe," says Paul Burns, executive director of the Vermont Public Interest Research Group. "And the sad fact is that's just not true."

Toys like the Pony Pet and Silly Fish Squirters, available on toy store shelves around Vermont, have landed on the U.S. Public Interest Group's 23rd annual Trouble in Toyland report. Both products contain high levels of phthalates, test have shown. VPIRG also has set its sights on toys containing lead, notably cheap costume jewelry...

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VPIRG Issues Annual Toy Warning

Montpelier, Vermont - November 25, 2008

As people make their holiday shopping lists, environmental advocates are warning about hazards that may be lurking in kids' toys.

VPIRG released its 23rd annual "Trouble in Toyland" report. It says 18 children died from toy-related injuries in 2007.

Last year emergency rooms treated 80,000 children for choking on small objects. And toxins like lead and phthalates -- which can gradually build up in a child's system, can be found in many metal and plastic toys.

"With the choking stay away from small parts. With the toxins stay away from soft pliable plastic toys which have the plasticizers phthalates; stay away from small metal jewelry, costume jewelry, a lot of that has hazardous levels of lead in it," said Claire Howard, of VPIRG.

VPIRG says safe options are cloth, wood and non-plastic toys, and locally made toys not imported from unknown sources.

Read Trouble in Toyland Report here

Trouble in Toyland: What to Look Out For

November 25 2008

Just in time for the holiday shopping season, there's "Trouble in Toyland" again. Vermont's Public Interest Research Group, VPIRG, released its annual report on toys you should pay extra attention too. Before you head out to the malls, there are three hidden hazards to keep in mind.

"We go out to places where consumers shop all the time and just pick a slew of just really popular, common toys, and then test them," Claire Howard said, she's a Field Associate for VPIRG.

VPIRG's message is buyer beware. First thing to watch out for is dangerous toxins.

"One of the risks in children's toys is a chemical called phthalates, phthalates can be found in toys such as this popular Pony Land toy anywhere where you find that a toy has a characteristic of soft and pliable plastic," Howard said.

Howard says exposure to the toxin can lead to development or reproductive issues. Similar threats can be found with lead. It's the second...

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Consumer Group Finds Hazardous Toys

November 25, 2008

WASHINGTON -- A warning for parents this holiday season: a consumer watchdog group says it found hazardous toys on store shelves.

A consumer watchdog group warns of potentially dangerous toys on store shelves this holiday season, despite the passage of landmark toy safety legislation in August. Most of the concern centers on toys containing pthalates--chemicals linked to reproductive and developmental abnormalities.

The U.S. Public Interest Research Group sent 14 toys to the lab for testing and found high levels of toxic pthalates in two of them. Under a new law that takes effect in February, a pony that was test had pthalate levels 95 times the legal limit.

"It is banned in the new law. It should not be for sale after February 10, 2009," said Julie Vallese, with the Consumer Product Safety Commission. But those toys, and any others containing pthalates, will be sold until current inventories run out even after the law banning them takes effect. The CPSC said that's because the law does not apply retroactively.

"The manufacturers, I don't know if they've learned their lesson yet. The CPSC, instead of giving them a free pass, should...

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Vermont Passes New Legislation limiting Lead, Phthalates and Mercury!

NON-TOXIC KIDS BLOG

http://www.non-toxickids.net/2008/05/vermont-passes-new-legislation-limiting.html

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

As Vermont's legislative session closed, I held my breath and hoped that all or most of the environmental health bills would pass. And happily, most of them did.

The bill that I had been most involved in, S.152, the Lead in Consumer Products bill, passed both the House and the Senate.

Also passed by the House and Senate was H.352, the Lead in Housing bill.

To protect our families from the mercury contained in older thermostats, H.515 increased the manufacturers responsibility for the disposal of mercury containing thermostats. The bill sets up goals for recycling thermostats, gives a $5 amount to homeowners or contractors to recycle them, and sets up a reporting system about the progress of the recycling program.

And lastly, a bill that was threatened when lobbyists from Exxon Mobil flew in to little ole' Vermont to fight it, survived. S.261, Phthalates in Children’s Products, was passed by the House and Senate. This bill restricts the use of phthalates in toys and child care products for children under 3.

I want to thank Charity Carbine, of Vermont Public Interest Research Group for her tireless efforts in support of these bills, and the entire VPIRG staff for looking out for Vermont families.

Toxin bill raises hunters' ire

April 24, 2008

MONTPELIER – A bill outlawing a family of chemicals in children's toys would not, normally, attract the ire of hunters and fisherman.

But a measure banning phthalates – substances used to make plastics more durable and flexible – in children's products has done just that. The measure, S.261, has passed the Senate and will soon be taken up again by the House Human Services Committee, perhaps as early as today.

The bill would outlaw the manufacture and sale of "child care articles" and toys containing the plastic additives, some of which have been found in some studies to be linked to development and reproductive problems. California...

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Vermont considers banning lead from kids' toys

NECN

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

(Anya Huneke, NECN: Montpelier, VT) - As the legislative session winds down in Vermont, lawmakers are putting serious thought into a number of bills, including one that would ban lead in children's toys. Bill supporters say it would set a precedent on how our country should aggressively tackle the issue.

Armed with a radioactive device, Todd Hobson made his way around a room at the Vermont State House in Montpelier Wednesday. As an Environmental Consultant, Hobson is trained to test for lead.

A handful of products were laid out by the Vermont Public Interest Research Group - to illustrate how easy it is to find lead in everyday items. Many of such items are used by children, which is why VPIRG and some other advocacy organizations, are pushing for a bill in Vermont that would ban lead in toys and phase out lead in certain other products, such as plumbing fixtures and wheel weights for cars.

Watch video here

Toy recalls have customers checking labels

November 27, 2007

When shopping for toys for their two children, Aaron and Jen Dietz check the labels. If it's from China, they give it a closer look, check to see if it's been recalled.

"I never would have thought about it before," said Aaron Dietz, a former Vermonter now of Atlanta, who was strolling Church Street in Burlington on Monday with his family.

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Shopping for Safe Toys

Williston, Vermont - November 23, 2007

Many parents out shopping on Black Friday for holiday gifts are worried about what they'll be putting under the tree this year. "The fact is, you're not going to know, unless the toy is tested," said VPIRG member Charity Carbine.

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Toy advocates urging parents to choose toys wisely

Friday November 23, 2007

Colchester, VT (Host) With the holiday shopping season upon us, consumer groups are urging parents to use caution when choosing toys this year. There were many high profile toy recalls this year. And the Vermont Public Interest Research Group's Charity Carbine says it's time to take legislative action.

(Carbine) "There is a silver lining, and that is that public attention, media attention to this issue has legislators poised to address these longstanding issues of the Consumer Product Safety Commission."

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VPIRG cautions on toy hazards

November 21, 2007

MONTPELIER – A John Deere toy tractor, a Home Depot toy tool set and a Hello Kitty handbag are among the 60 children's products that landed on the Vermont Public Interest Group's list of potentially dangerous toys this year.

This is the 22nd year that the Montpelier-based advocacy organization has issued a report on unsafe toys days before the biggest shopping weekend of the year, and this year's list features some well-known names and faces.

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Local group wary of contaminated toys

Wednesday, November 21

BRATTLEBORO -- With the release of its 22nd annual toy safety survey Tuesday, the Vermont Public Interest Research Group identified a number of hazards facing families shopping for holiday presents and pushed for policy changes to improve consumer safety.

"The opportunity is ripe for action given all the public outrage and media attention focused on this issue," said Charity Carbine, VPIRG's environmental health advocate. "I think the state of Vermont should be a leader on this issue."

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VPIRG joins national warning about dangerous toys

November 20, 2007



MONTPELIER (AP) — The Vermont Public Interest Research Group on Tuesday issued its annual pre-holiday warning about children’s toys, saying too many of them contain lead, powerful magnets or present choking hazards.



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HOLIDAY SHOPPING WARNING

November 20, 2007

Report finds that some toys contain chemicals that are harmful to small children

To watch this video, click here and scroll down to the "Holiday Shopping Warning" tab.