How safe are your kids' toys?

Watch the video here:
http://www.kxly.com/Global/story.asp?S=9868556&nav=menu683_11

SPOKANE - Does your child's favorite toys have toxic levels of lead? You might be surprised at what toys are considered safe and which ones could be harmful to your children.

Sandra Somes is a mother with two daughters, so when she buys toys for them she expects them to be child-friendly and safe.

"We do my little ponies and stuff but I never thought to research if there's a lot of lead in those," Somes said.

Armed with an XRF analyzer Jim Dawson with the Toxic Free Legacy Coalition gave Somes a hand Wednesday by scanning her children's toys for their lead levels.

"It can tell us down to the part per million what's in the product," Dawson said.

The analyzer searches for toxins like lead, toxic flame retardants and plastic like PVC, chemicals that can be harmful to a child's brain development and reproductive system.

The coalition is working with several Washington associations to test toys for free in Spokane with the goal of educating families about the hidden hazards in their homes and push for better government regulation.

"You shouldn't have to test products to make sure that its safe, that's the manufacturers job, that's the governments job to make sure that manufacturers are following the rules," Dawson said.

As for Sandra Somes and her family seeing the results Dawson found with a few of their toys was a real eye opener.

"It makes you want to be more cautious and its good to know that they're people out there who are also concerned about your kids," she said.