34: Non-Toxic Children’s Toys

The Missing Pillar of Health Podcast

Most toy packages carry labels like “non-toxic” and “meets ASTM” and various other standards. And if you go to government websites, they talk about all the ways they protect us from dangerous products. But what do these claims mean, especially when it comes to the safety of children’s toys?
In 2008, Mattel recalled nearly 1million toys made in China that contained lead as high as 11ppm, 180 times the legal limit. There is no known safe level of lead for children, so even the legal limits aren’t necessarily safe.
Also in 2008, a Toronto newspaper purchased toys from 18 retailers and found lead in about one in every four products purchased. Most of the products were made in China.
Lead is a known toxin, particularly for children, and is the most heavily regulated toxin for children’s products in Canada and the US.
But it’s just one contaminant found in children’s toys – and if the chemical with the strictest regulations is falling through the cracks, what does that mean for the rest?
In this episode I cover:
- What regulations exist in Canada and the US, compared to the EU and China
- What isn’t regulated as much as we think
- The most common toxins found in toys
- What to look for in non-toxic toys
- How to demand better from manufacturers
Links Mentioned:
The Healthy Home Collective: https://greenathome.ca/collective
Related Episodes:
Episode 3 | Is Amazon Safe?: https://greenathome.ca/podcast/is-amazon-safe-what-you-need-to-know-before-buying-childrens-products-online/
Episode 29 | Inconvenient Proof: https://greenathome.ca/podcast/ep29-inconvenient-proof/
Episode 30 | Hormone Disruptors are the Worst: https://greenathome.ca/podcast/ep30-hormone-disruptors-are-the-worst/
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Green Product Forum: https://facebook.com/groups/greenproductforum
Instagram: https://instagram.com/emma_greenathome
Website: https://greenathome.ca

Green at Home is no longer an operating business, as its founder, Emma Rohmann, has gone back to her engineering roots in large-scale green building consulting. She is keeping her free resources, including the podcast and blog, live but you will find other links to resources are likely broken in these show notes.
Thanks for being here!