Toxins in Toys

[ChemFreeKids]

http://www.mothering.com/articles/growing_child/consumerism/toxic_toy_story.html

The Link above is for an article that deals with the safety, or rather the lack there of, in plastic toys.

Scary - ain't it? We never buy plastic toys. Unfortunately there are those that are given to use which we recycle in some form -- Good Will mostly. But we continually ask that people not purchase plastic toys, but if they want to give a gift, that it should be something natural.

Enjoy.
Monika

[MsRuthieB]

You know what else is scary? I watched a special on the news not that long ago about the pressure treated lumber that's used on playgrounds. And the timbers that are used as a cushion on the ground? That's shredded scrap from pressure treated wood. Well, apparantly, pressure treated wood was treated with arsenic. And if not treated with a sealant (left naked), the arsenic can transfer either through the skin or by hand to mouth contact. A lot of folks don't know this. Read more about it here (http://www.cfr.ncsu.edu/rrs/cca_play.html). Even though they can't use this wood anymore, there is still a ton of it out there in public places, specifically parks and playgrounds.

On February 12, 2002, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a voluntary decision by industry to move consumer use of treated lumber products away from a variety of pressure treated wood that contains arsenic by December 31, 2003, in favor of new alternative wood preservatives. This transition affects virtually all residential uses of wood treated with chromated copper arsenate, also known as CCA, including wood used in playground equipment, decks, picnic tables, landscaping timbers, residential fencing, patios and walkways/boardwalks.