Latest Toxic Toy Recalls: Lead and Cadmium in Toys and Jewelry

It was 2007 when many U.S. parents became all-too aware of a common problem with many of their child's favorite toys: they were loaded with lead, a toxic metal that can cause permanent brain damage if children are exposed. Since then, Congress acted to reduce the amount of allowable lead and phthalates in toys, effective in 2009. But in 2010, parents learned of another common threat: cadmium in children's jewelry, which had replaced lead but posed its own risk of brain damage. There was and is so much cadmium in children's jewelry, that the chairwoman of the Consumer Product Safety Commission took the unusual step of recommending that parents avoid buying all cheap children's jewelry. And with the new limits on lead and phthalates, recalls of toys loaded with phthalates have joined the list. (Phthalates are a family of chemicals used to make some plastics, fragrances and other common consumer products, and some mimic hormones and may cause a range of health issues.)

Through it all, The Daily Green has tracked thousands, if not millions, of toxic children's products and toy recalls and children's jewelry recalls. You can still find information about those recalls at the links in this paragraph. Starting in 2010, we're moving this service to a new format that will make it easier for parents to search for individual toy recalls, see more information about each recall and still find recall information about previous recalls they may have missed. Simply hit the arrow buttons to learn about the most recent toxic toy and jewelry recalls.

Also see previous toy recalls.