Burner Toy Testing Yields Troubling Results
Burner Toy Testing Yields Troubling Results;Many Toys Contained Unsafe Levels of Lead and Cadmium
Bellevue, WA (December 18) – Results of tests sponsored by Darcy Burner, the Democratic candidate in the 8th Congressional District, of nearly 500 toys last weekend revealed that a significant number of commonly available toys contain levels of lead and other contaminants at levels far beyond those considered safe by reputable authorities.
On the weekend of December 15 and 16, the Burner for Congress campaign hosted free toy testing opportunities in seven communities for parents concerned about toy safety. With the holiday approaching and parents increasingly concerned given that more than 20 million toys have been recalled from store shelves in recent months, the testing drew a strong turnout across the district.
Overall, the campaign conducted 798 tests on 479 toys and children’s items that were brought in for testing from across the district. 56 items tested positive for lead, and of those 47 items – 10 percent of the total – contained excessive lead levels above the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended maximum of 40 parts per million. Nine items tested positive for cadmium, another toxic element.
“That about one out of every ten toys we tested contained high levels of lead is shocking evidence that our government in Washington, D.C. is not fulfilling its most important responsibilities,” Burner said. “Parents should not have to worry that the toys they are giving as presents could damage their children’s development, yet that is exactly what is happening.
“I’m amazed it has not happened already, but if I am elected to Congress next year, I will push for legislation to adopt in full the American Academy of Pediatrics common sense recommendations made to Congress this October to eliminate lead content above trace levels in children’s products and to increase funding for testing of toy safety,” Burner said.
Many of the toys tested over the weekend contained lead levels far beyond safe levels. A red plastic roof piece from a Lincoln Logs set tested at 1488 parts per million for lead (or 37 times the AAP standard). A small plastic Fisher Price Sesame Street Bert figure tested at 5346 ppm (or 133 times the standard). A Tinkerbell pink rolling backpack tested at 533 ppm for lead, while a CInderella princess backpack tested at 474 ppm. A Winnie the Pooh placemat contained 985 ppm.
The highest lead level was found was in a Fisher Price Flip Track crane from a plastic train set that was owned by Burner’s own 5 year-old son, which tested at 10,600 ppm, or 265 times the AAP standard.
During the two days of testing, some important patterns came to light. All of the children’s character placemats tested contained high levels of lead or cadmium; Dora, Spiderman and Winnie the Pooh all tested positive. Cooler-style lunchboxes and soft coolers tended to have high lead content as well. Parents may want to consider keeping such items in their own homes away from their children.
“This administration needs to get its priorities straight. Recent news reports have revealed that the Consumer Products Safety Commission currently has only one staffer in the entire country tasked with testing toys, while the current director and her predecessor have traveled on nearly 30 junkets paid for by toy companies and other consumer products manufacturers,” Burner said. “This is truly a scandal. Children are being put at risk while our leading regulators are hobnobbing in resort locales with industry lobbyists and so far nothing is being done about it.”
Burner thanked all the local officials and organizations that co-sponsored the testing, including State Senator Claudia Kauffman, State Senator Eric Oemig, State Rep. Zach Hudgins, Bellevue City Councilmember Claudia Balducci, Mercer Island City Councilmember Mike Grady, recent Council candidate Maureen Judge, the United Steelworkers and the Kiwanis Club of the Foothills.
“I want to thank all of these dedicated civic leaders for co-hosting these important events. This weekend they stepped forward to do what they can to ensure that the children in their communities will be kept safe this holiday season,” Burner said.
The toy testing was done with the generous assistance of ESSCO Safety Check, an area company that specializes in offering home visits to test household items and toys for contamination with dangerous chemicals. Company representatives used an XRF (X-Ray Flourescence) Analyzer, essentially a high-tech x-ray gun, to check for the presence of toxic chemicals in consumer products.
The testing took place in seven locations: Bellevue, Mercer Island, Renton, Covington, Puyallup, Redmond and Issaquah.
The Washington Toxics Coalition also had representatives on site during the tests, and the results will be used to update their toxics ratings of more than 1200 toys, available on the web at www.healthytoys.org.
