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The Ecology Center, a Michigan-based nonprofit organization, has just released the 3rd Annual Consumer Guide to Toxic Chemicals in Toys at www.HealthyStuff.org.

Researchers tested nearly 700 popular 2009 children's products for lead, cadmium, arsenic, PVC, and other harmful chemicals in time to help consumers make better choices for their families this holiday shopping season.

Even though lead has been steadily decreasing in toys over the past three years,  one in three of all toys tested (32%) this holiday season still contained one or more harmful chemical including lead, cadmium, arsenic, and mercury. In addition, 18 percent of the products tested  (119 of 669) still contained detectable lead, including the Barbie Bike Flair Accessory Kit, Dora the Explorer Activity Tote, and the Kids Poncho from WalMart.

The new data - formerly available at HealthyToys.org - is now available at www.HealthyStuff.org along with a wide variety of other products to help consumers make better choices when shopping for their families. This year, holiday shoppers can search for toys by product name, UPC code, product type, manufacturer, or retailer to easily find products that have No, Low, Medium, or High levels of toxic chemicals. Also available is a personalized holiday wish list that can be sent to family and friends, blog-friendly widgets in English and Spanish, a mobile application, and quick searches for toy rankings via SMS texting in English and Spanish. 

In addition to toys, the 2009 children's product testing includes children's shoes, belts, wallets, handbags and backpacks. While levels of lead in toys have declined, adult and children's apparel continues to show high levels of lead. Babies and young children are the most vulnerable to toxic chemicals since their brains and bodies are still developing and because they commonly put toys and other products into their mouths.

Search for toys according to their chemical levels  

More information on toy safety by US PIRG 

American Academy of Pediatrics toy safety resources

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