Toxic Additives in Toys and Other Products

Three Hazardous Additives to Toys and other products

Lead, Phthalates, and Cadmium are added to paints, plastics and other manufactured materials. The information below describes some of the issues surrounding them.

Lead

Nationwide, about 310,000 children between the ages of 1 and 5 have blood lead levels above the federal guideline of 10 micrograms per deciliter, and experts suspect that many times that number have lower levels that are still dangerous.
These levels can cause irreversible damage, according to the Centers for Disease Control . Every one of these cases is avoidable. While many young children have been affected by lead from paint in older homes, other children are being exposed to the toxin through toys, especially toy jewelry.
In 2007, more than six million toys were recalled due to lead, the largest defect product recall in history.
Lead is cheap and found in many household products.
A Minneapolis child died of lead poisoning after swallowing a Reebok metal charm containing very high levels of lead
There is no safe level of lead for children. Children six and under are particularly vulnerable to lead contamination. Two-year olds tend to have the highest levels of contamination because of their instinct to put objects in their mouth
Children under the age of 4 and pregnant women are the most at risk. Lead may be a teratogen, a substance which causes birth defects by damaging the fetus.
Long-term effects can occur from repeated exposures to a chemical at levels not high enough to make an individual immediately sick.

Symptoms of Lead Poisoning

Lead poisoning usually does not cause symptoms until the level of lead in the blood is very high. Most lead poisoning comes from low levels of exposure over a long period of time.

Lead exposure may

increase children's distractibility, impulsiveness and restlessness and leaves them with a shortened attention span.
cause headache, irritability, reduced memory , disturbed sleep, and mood and personality changes.
cause kidney and brain damage and damage to blood cells causing anemia.

Diagnosis of Lead Poisoning

The only way to diagnose lead poisoning is by having a blood test . A doctor or nurse takes blood from a child's finger or arm. The health care provider sends the blood sample to a laboratory to find out how much lead it contains. A level of 10 micrograms per deciliter (mcg/dL) or greater is considered unsafe.

Treatment

Blood lead levels can be lowered to prevent further damage and early intervention can help to reduce long term effects.

Special drugs, called chelators, may be used to treat children with very high blood lead levels. These medications are given in the hospital either through intravenous or intramuscular injections or by mouth. The medicine attaches to the lead and pulls it out of the body in the urine.

10 toys with most Lead Product 2008	Level (in parts per million PPM)
Brush Your Teeth! Robot Tatiti	23,788
Dinner Party tea set Starletz	12,635
Starletz large ceramic tea set	10,062
Elmo's Take-Along Card Games	9,997
Bugs backpack/bag Tyrrell Katz	7,132
My Pasture Play Set	6,733
Shoe, Style 443559 Circo	5,197
Fairies backpack/bag Tyrrell Katz	4,524
Construction equipment backpack/bag Tyrrell Katz	4,514
Jessica (Collectible 11.5" Fashion Doll)	4,300

Phthalates (pronounced thay'-lates)

Phthalates are a chemical used as a softener in toys such as teethers, rubber ducks, bath toys and soft plastic books.
Phthalates have been associated with reproductive defects, lowered sperm counts, early puberty and cancer.
Of more than 80,000 chemicals used in the marketplace today, the vast majority are untested for human health impacts. Consumers may be exposed to chemicals like phthalates on a frequent basis without knowing what the health impacts from exposure may be.
Human testing by the federal government finds phthalates in almost all of the population, with the highest levels in children ages 6 to 11 years and in women (CDC 2005 Indoor Air)
DINP (one type of phthalate) is commonly used as an additive in children's toys. Studies have demonstrated possible links between DINP and adverse impacts on the reproductive system, kidneys, liver, and blood
The European Union has prohibited phthalates in toys since 1999, and recently expanded its ban to include all childcare products that might be placed in the mouth by young children.

Cadmium

Cadmium is classified as a known human carcinogen, associated with lung and prostate cancer.
Exposure to cadmium can result in bone loss and increased blood pressure.
Acute toxicity from ingestion of high levels of cadmium can result in abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting and death.

Resources

Consumer Product Safety Commission
Children's Environmental Health Initiative
Dr. Philip J. Landrigan, director of the Children's Environmental Health Center at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York
Environmental Protection Agency
National Center for Health Statistics National Vital Statistics
University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati Lead Study

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