Toymakers: Hey Washington, Let Us Keep Lead in Toys

A ban is proposed in certain states for toys with phthalates like some vinyl rubber ducks.

Photo: Gianluca Fabrizio / Istock/Istock

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Toymakers, retailers and other purveyors of children's products are asking for more time to meet the federal government's new standards limiting the lead-content of toys, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Essentially, they want to sell off their existing inventory, or put another way, grandfather in highly leaded toys manufactured before Congress passed the law, in August.

The one problem with that logic is that lead causes permanent brain damage. Most parents weren't aware that the toys and other children's products they were buying for their kids could be dangerous, and yet as their children chewed on, or swallowed some of these products, they were ingesting a potent poison. Lead exposure — even in relatively small doses — has been linked to learning disabilities, behavioral problems, even violence.

As the law stands, no products that fail to meet the new lead standard can be sold after Feb. 10. Already, that date disappoints many, since the Christmas shopping season is when such a large proportion of the year's children's products are sold. The Consumer Product Safety Commission should hold firm on its deadline, and if small retailers and manufacturers are truly burdened by the new law, they should be compensated in some way that doesn't endanger children's health.

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