Poison for the Pooch: New Database on Toxic Chemicals in Pet Toys and Other Products Reveals Hazards

The Washington Toxics Coalition and the Michigan-based Ecology Center today released the results of chemical tests on over 900 common products. Tests reveal that toxic chemicals like lead, cadmium, mercury, and arsenic, are present in pet products, children’s car seats, backpacks, and more.

The results can be found on the user-friendly website: www.HealthyStuff.org. Visitors can look up products by manufacturer, brand, or product type, and can easily generate lists of products based on their rating.

“Parents, including parents of furry, four-legged kids, shouldn’t have to worry whether the toys they buy are harmful,” said Ivy Sager-Rosenthal, campaign director with the Washington Toxics Coalition. “People are sick and tired of hearing about toxic toys, toxic chew toys, toxic chemicals in their products. We need a better system of laws that doesn’t require people to be chemists before they buy something.”

HealthyStuff.org tested for chemicals based on their toxicity, persistence and tendency to build up in people and the environment.  Such chemicals have been linked to reproductive problems, developmental and learning disabilities, liver toxicity and cancer.

A key category of products tested was pet products. Pets may be particularly vulnerable to toxic chemicals as their exposure is greater from spending most of their time close to the floor and commonly chewing on toys. Pet product testing revealed:

• 25% of the 400 pet products tested had detectable levels of lead.
• 7% of all pet products tested had lead levels greater than 300 ppm – the current Consumer Product Safety Commission standard for lead in children’s products.
• Nearly half of pet collars had detectable levels of lead; with more than one quarter exceeding 300 ppm.
• Nearly half of tennis balls tested had detectable levels of lead. Tennis balls intended for pets were more likely to contain lead, while the sports tennis balls tested did not contain lead.

Robert Pregulman, owner of 2 dogs and 2 cats, said, “My wife and I were horrified to learn that many pet products contain mercury, lead, and other toxic chemicals. I urge every pet owner to go to HealthyStuff.org to see if they own any products that contain dangerous chemicals. The companies that sell these toxic products claim they care about the welfare of our pets, but in reality they are producing products that could harm our pets’ health.”

• Children’s Car Seats – Infant and child car seats contain chemical additives that can have adverse health effects on babies and young children.  More than half (58%) of car seats contain one or more hazardous chemicals, including PVC, and heavy metals. Three examples of car seats that had none of the chemicals tested for are: Baby Trend Flex-Loc; the Graco Nautilus 3-in-1 Car Seat; and the Graco Turbo Booster.  Despite the toxic chemicals, it is vital to use a car seat for your child because they do save lives.
• Back-to-School Products – HealthyStuff.org screened over 60 common back-to-school supplies, including backpacks, pencil cases, binders and lunchboxes.  Far too many of these supplies are made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and 22% contained detectable levels of lead.  Overall, nearly 90% of back-to-school supplies contained one or more chemicals of concern. 
• Cars – HealthyStuff.org tested nearly 700 new and used vehicles, from 1980 to 2010 model years. The US-made Pontiac G5 and Chevy Cobalt rated best overall 2009 vehicles. Levels of some chemicals found in vehicles are five to ten times higher than in homes or offices. Since the average American spends more than 1.5 hours in their car every day, this can be a major source of toxic chemical exposure.

For tips on avoiding toxic chemicals in consumer products, visit www.safestartforkids.org.

In response to increasing consumer demand for safer products, Washington state officials at all levels of government are poised to move forward with comprehensive reforms to our current laws. The Department of Ecology is putting together a list of the most toxic chemicals for children and will be requiring toy manufacturers to report whether their products contain one of the toxic chemicals. The Washington State Legislature will again consider whether to support a bill aimed at phasing out the use of the hormone disrupting chemical bisphenol A (BPA) in children’s products.

At the federal level, Senator Frank Lautenberg and Representative Bobby Rush are expected to introduce a new bill this Congressional session to reform the outdated Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) – the current federal law for regulating chemicals. These reforms would phase out the most dangerous chemicals from the manufacturing process; require industries to take responsibility for the safety of their products; and use the best science to protect vulnerable groups. To date the EPA has required testing on only about 200 of the more than 80,000 chemicals that have been on the market since the law was passed 33 years ago. 

“It shouldn’t be the responsibility of public health advocates to test consumer products for basic safety information,” said Sager-Rosenthal. “Manufacturers of these products need to step up and replace dangerous substances with safer alternatives and legislators must enact laws to ensure harmful chemicals are not allowed in products.”

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