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NO THANKS To Toxic Toys.
Mandy Geisler
Thursday, August 23, 2007
It has been all over the news lately – Toy recalls for toys made in China. In the case of Mattel, one of their contract manufacturing facilities in China used paint from a non-authorized third-party supplier which used a “fake lead-free” paint pigment.
Also Fisherprice had to recently recall 83 types of toys, because their paints contained excessive amounts of lead.
Beside lead in paint, it is also found in PVC (vinyl) products and in metal jewelry, which do not have a standard and is not banned. Many of these products come into contact with children regularly and caution should be used when purchasing them.
What effects does lead have? Lead can have immediate health effects if swallowed, absorbed through skin and/ or inhaled. In the long run it can cause cancer, learning disabilities, memory loss, ADD, and more.
Many parents ask whether there are any safe toys being made.
And the answer is YES and we would like to recommend companies to you, whose mission it is to produce not only earthly friendly products but also healthy products for your children.
Beyond Learning is the world's first company to offer reading and math games that are earth-friendly. Their products are printed with soy-based ink, phthalate-free lamination, water-based varnish on recycled paper.
Green Toys is using plastic that is made from corn. They offer tea sets, Indoor gardening kits, sand play sets, cookware and dining sets which your kids will love and are healthy for them and the environment.
Planet Happy’s mission is to promote imaginative and intelligent play while setting a higher standard for children’s products. They focus on carrying beautifully crafted toys, games, books, and more, and all of our products fall into at least one of the following categories: made with sustainable and/or organic materials, promote “green” concepts and/or are made with recycled/reused material, fairly traded, and manufactured by socially responsible companies.
The Bioviva Company designs products which are completely recycled, recyclable and printed using non-toxic vegetable inks. All post-production wastes are sorted and recycled in turn. The games are made in France and Canada using strict quality control and environmental guidelines.
Alphabet Jigsaws is an Irish company that has been designing, producing, wholesaling and retailing wooden jigsaw puzzles for the past 5 years. All paints and primers used are child safe and non toxic. All our wood is sourced from sustainably grown forests. The jigsaws meet all the required European safety standards and bear the CE mark.
Branch is an online store that pretty much does all the thinking for you. This way you don’t have to shop with guilt, because they are checking on questions like:
- What materials went into its manufacture?,
- Did the wood used to make that chair contribute to deforestation in Asia?,
- Were toxic chemicals used to create the lustrous finish?, etc.
Enjoy shopping!
