Lead Wasteland: Even After Recall, Lead Toys are Hazardous

Thomas the Tank Engine, Barbie and Tanner, Polly Pocket, and Power Wheels are just a few of the millions of toys, lunchboxes and other products recalled for lead contamination. Consumer activists and environmentalists now fear additional problems as lead-laced products that are improperly disposed of may contaminate groundwater and landfills, or end up on eBay, according to the LA Times.

There is no single, nationally accepted procedure for disposing of recalled products. The Consumer Product Safety Commission, the federal agency that oversees the recall of lead-tainted and other dangerous items, asks consumers to return the products to the recalling company, which is legally required to properly dispose of the hazardous materials. In other cases, state agencies have urged consumers to bring lead-tainted items to local hazardous waste disposal sites or to state offices. According to experts, however, only a fraction of consumers actually return recalled products to manufacturers.

Many recalled products stay in circulation long after recalls have been announced. As said in the Los Angeles Times, a study for the journal Injury Prevention, found 190 auctions of recalled products on eBay in just a 30-day period. To double check that items you purchase on eBay and through second hand sources have not been recalled, go to this Consumer Product Safety Commission website.

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