Danger May Be Lurking Under Your Christmas Tree

Unfortunately, especially at this time of year, parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles must think twice about the toy they are considering buying for those good little boys and girls out there.

To date, dozens of toys have been determined to contain dangerous levels of lead or other hazardous chemicals. As a result the CPSC, Consumer Product Safety Commission, has been forced to recall 50% more toys in 2007 than it did in 2006. Sadly, some of these toys are the old standbys that kids have loved for years such as the Curious George plush doll, Baby Einstein color blocks, and J.C. Penney’s Winnie the Pooh play set.

For retailers the panic this is causing in consumers trying to protect their young ones will be sure to affect their profit margins. For parents this means living with the fear that they may be purchasing a toy that they cannot feel confident has been thoroughly tested for safety and may make their child sick even if it hasn’t been recalled yet.

According to Nychelle Fleming, CPSC spokesperson, anyone buying for youngsters must be extra diligent and research proposed purchases before purchasing them. Ms Fleming continues by saying that parents need to be better educated than ever when making purchases and that current recall information is available at the CPSC Web site. Here you can find a list of all recalled toys and the reason for their recall.

It is interesting to point out that in the last two years the majority of recalled toys are being manufactured in China and out of these there is an alarming number being recalled due to dangerous levels of lead. Lead is apparently found in the paint being used on these toys and if ingested can lead to mental retardation and death.

That being said, Christmas can still be a time of Santa bringing desired gifts to our little ones as long as those purchasing the gifts take just a little time to insure that every toy under the tree is safe.