by Stacey
If toxic paint wasn’t enough of a reason to boycott toys made in China, an article in today’s NY Times says that hundreds and maybe thousands of children in China have been sold to work as slave laborers in booming coastal factory cities.
Authorities in southern Guangdong Province, near Hong Kong, said they had already […]

by Stacey
The EcoMom has arrived. Instead of worrying over gleaming floors and sparkling dishes, the NY Times reported earlier this week that moms these days are obsessed on installing compact fluorescent light bulbs, buying in bulk and using “smart” power strips that shut off electricity to the espresso machine, microwave, X-Box, VCR, coffee grinder, television […]

by Stacey
Tests on more than 1,200 toys found that 35 percent contain lead, many with levels far above the federal recall standard. According to this AP story, most of the toys are still on store shelves.
The testing was conducted by groups concerned with health and the environment, including, the Michigan-based Ecology Center and the National […]

by Stacey
Sorry to be late on this story. On Wednesday the Consumer Product Safety Commission recalled 4.2 million Aqua Dots, distrubuted by Spin Master of Toronto, Canada. According to this article in the NY Times, if ingested the beads release a chemical related to GBH, otherwise known as the banned date rape drug.
The toy is […]

By Stacey
Well this is downright depressing. The Boy Scouts of America said Thursday that a painted badge commonly worn by some of its youngest scouts is being voluntary recalled after a test revealed high levels of lead in the paint.
Guess where they were made. Come on, I’ll give you one try… ding! ding! ding!
According to […]

by Stacey
Another toy recall to report. According to this AP story, it involved over 600,000 toys and children’s jewelry made in China, including five more items from the Thomas & Friends Wooden Railway product line, because they contain dangerous levels of lead.
RC2 Corp.’s “Knights of the Sword” series toys and some of its Thomas and […]

by Stacey
We’re back at it. Mattel has issued its third recall of the summer, pulling 773,900 Chinese-made toys contaminated with lead paint, including Geo Trax train toys and accessories for its Barbie brand.
According to this Washington Post story:
The company is recalling 675,000 Barbie accessories, including Barbie Dream Puppy House, in which lead paint was found […]

by Stacey
Weeks after Mattel rocked our world with its stunning back-to-back recalls of over 10 million toys, a picture is emerging of how lead paint got onto the toys in the first place. According to this NY Times article, Mattel had old ties to manufacturers in China and did not do enough oversight of the […]

by Stacey
In the wake of this week’s toxic toys recall, parents are now faced with the daunting task of taking away beloved toys from their children. An article in yesterday’s Washington Post talks about just how hard this can be.
Colin Kriebel’s summer has been a really cruddy inverse of Christmas. First, in June, the 3-year-old’s […]

by Stacey
A group of concerned scientists are sounding the alarm about a chemical found in baby bottles and toddler sippy cups, among other the household products. An article in last week’s LA Times reports that several dozen scientists have recently signed a consensus statement that an estrogen-like compound called bisphenol A or BPA that leaches […]