Many thousands of children across the country might have had pens poised to write to Santa Claus asking him to bring Aqua Dots, Easy-Bake Ovens or perhaps a Go Diego Go Animal Rescue Boat this year.
But what most parents know by now is that these toys and many others have been pulled off the shelves because of safety concerns.
While the leading cause of toy-related fatalities in the United States is choking, the most recent and abundant recalls have come from companies who sell or manufacture toys that have used paint with dangerous levels of lead that can be swallowed and make children ill.
With that in mind, lead paint or other harmful substances on toys, frequently those from China, are fast becoming the consumer nightmare of 2007.
Parents in a quandary about what to buy their children this holiday need look no further than smaller toy stores such as Teri’s Toybox in Edmonds.
Owner Teri Soelter doesn’t sell mass-market toys. She only had one toy — a Thomas the Tank Engine piece — in her store that was recalled and she wasn’t hit hard when that product was recalled.
Soelter deals in toys from the United States, Europe and other parts of the world, many of which are learning-oriented.
She hears a lot of talk from customers about lead in paint and other problems with Chinese imports, such as the Aqua Dots product that was coated with a chemical that, if swallowed, could be metabolized into the date rape drug, GHB.
“I think people are concerned,” Soelter said. “Nobody wants to buy a tainted toy for their child.”
In general customers are asking where items are made. They see “recall” and “China” and think that every single thing from China is bad, Soelter said, adding, “That’s not the case.”
American toy companies — such as Lauri, and Melissa &Doug — offer craft kits, games and rubber puzzles. Growth charts, picture frames, puppets and kids clocks are only a few of the products from these award-winning toy makers.
Nico &Zoe toys offer parents a look at their products in a Seattle showroom. The company has everything from baby rattles to teepees, and many other learning toys in between.
For 57 years Quercetti Intelligent Toys from Italy has been providing preschool and developmental toys for children. The company has also won a number of awards. Their marble runs and musical instruments are fun and educational.
For the younger set, check out the Digicolor or Pallino toys by Quercetti, which have bright colors and patterns.
Many of the toys that Soelter carries are stained and not painted. This takes the lead worry out of the mix for parents with those concerns.
When it comes to lead levels in toys and the effect that lead has on children, Dr. Katherine Runyon, a pediatrician at The Everett Clinic, said she hasn’t heard much about it from patients. “I’ve seen very little concern,” Runyon said.
She said lead problems in young people in our region are virtually nonexistent. Of those who were extensively tested in Everett about 15 years ago when the Asarco smelter was a concern, none had high lead levels, Runyon said.
In fact, Runyon has not seen anyone who was born and raised in Snohomish County with lead poisoning. In the past, the problem was much more common in urban areas with older homes that had been painted with a lead-based paint that was peeling off walls and window sills.
Runyon said we it’s not know how much children who might have played with recently recalled toys could be affected. “The allowable levels of lead are quite conservative,” Runyon said. “We can’t guess how much they can suck off and absorb.”
Runyon says that choking is a much bigger concern with toys that have small parts or pieces that can be broken off and swallowed by young children. Likewise, magnets pose a hazard when swallowed. Head entrapment in toy boxes, cribs and between mattresses and cribs are much more common, she added.
One of Soelter’s more popular brands is Plan Toys, which are made in Thailand from rubber-tree wood that is free from preservative chemicals. The wood is dried in kilns and the color is applied to the toys using stain, not paint.
The array of Plan toys includes push-pull toys, doll’s houses, games and puzzles and a city.
“Children will play much longer with things that they can manipulate,” Soelter said.
Haba toys, from Germany, are made from maple and beech wood, and felt and leather. Toys include the soft cuddly kind to stacking toys and building blocks. From dress sets to digging claws (for the beach or sand pit), Haba has been making toys since 1938 and continues a commitment of quality in their products.
“You can feel the soft of the wood,” Soelter said. “It’s so beautifully done.”
Christina Harper is a Snohomish County freelance writer. She can be contacted at harper@heraldnet.com.
What’s up with toy safety
Companies such as Toys “R” Us have committed to retesting toys from their shelves to assure customers that what they are buying is safe. The toy giant has also told its manufacturers that they must test shipments more often before sending them to stores.
Toys “R” Us takes back recalled products whether they were purchased at their stores or not. Consumers do not need a receipt.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission offers visitors to its Web site, www.cpsc.gov, some simple rules for buying safe toys. Consumers can search to determine if a toy is subject to recall and also sign up to have recalls sent to them directly via e-mail.
Suits have been filed in California against major toy sellers including Mattel, Fisher-Price, Costco Wholesale, Kmart, and Toys “R” Us alleging that these companies did not provide warnings about the lead and that they knowingly exposed people to it. Under California’s Proposition 65 companies can be penalized by having to pay up to $2,500 per day for each violation.
On the Web
Web sites to check out for alternative toys and for information on toy recalls.
Toys “R” Us product recalls: www2.toysrus.com/safety/prodRecallsList.cfm
Consumer Products Safety Commission: www.cpsc.gov
Federal recalls: www.recalls.gov
Nico &Zoe: www.nicoandzoe.com
Melissa &Doug: www.melissaanddoug.com
Plan Toys: www.plantoys.com
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