NYPIRG representatives gave some tips to help parents choose appropriate toys this holiday season.

According to Shelton, parents must be careful with toys made in China. “If a toy painted, if a toy is a soft plastic, if the toy has a sharp odor and is made in China, then parents should be more cautious when choosing toys for their children,” he said.

Many toxic products have been found coming from China recently, including toxic gypsum board and food products contaminated with melamine, which is often used in plastics and adhesives.

Shelton said that if a toy could be problematic painted, because paint may contain lead. Although U.S. law passed in 1977 banned paint containing lead, sometimes found in toys.

Soft plastic can also be indicators that phthalates are used. “Phthalates are often used to soften plastic products,” said Shelton.

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Toys lined up on the table – from the characters Buzz Light year doll puppy to a luxurious and daughter necklace, all can kill or harm the children, according to a report Trouble in Toyland 2009 from the New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG).

The findings of the annual reports issued during a press conference on Wednesday (2 / 12). Some problematic toys on display at the press conference, which all found on store shelves in New York last two weeks.

Earlier reports have resulted in the withdrawal of 130 toys and other measures to get dangerous toys from store shelves, according to NYPIRG consumer attorney Tracy Shelton.

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Free lead screening kits are just part of the USW’s North American “Protect Our Kids – Stop Toxic Imports” campaign – one tool in our effort to draw attention to the dangers posed by an unregulated, unfair trade system.

The screening kits are just that – screenings. Consumers can use them in conjunction with recall and other information provided by manufacturers, the government and their doctors. When in doubt about a product’s safety, get it out of your home and away from your family. The screening should not be the sole basis for deciding if a product is safe. If the screening comes up positive, further laboratory testing may be necessary.

The USW is conducting Safe Home Sessions in part to use the union’s Health Safety and Environment expertise to demonstrate the proper screening procedure. The LeadCheck kits we are distributing are one of only two consumer kits easily available in the U.S. and Canada and the only one available at hardware stores across the U.S. Follow the manufacturers’ directions.

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Protect Our Kids – Stop Toxic Imports is a North American awareness campaign about the growing danger being created by toxic imports, unregulated globalization and the gutting of federal regulatory agencies.

The project will mobilize all activist entities of the United Steelworkers union, including Women of Steel; Steelworkers Organization of Active Retirees (SOAR); Health, Safety & the Environment; Associate Membership; Rapid Response; United Steelworkers Press Association (USPA); and Legislative.

They will help mount a series of national events in the U.S. and Canada that aim to get the lead and other dangerous products out of our homes while drawing attention to a broken regulatory system and unfair, unregulated trade policies that threaten our jobs and our families.
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What You Can Do

We need your help in getting the lead and other dangerous products out of our homes. A broken regulatory system and unfair, unregulated trade policies are endangering our families, our communities and our jobs. This check list provides you with a few ideas for what you can do to send the message that a cheap price tag is not worth putting our families at risk:

Use your USW Get the Lead Out screening kit:

• Test your toys and other imported items and report your results at www.stoptoxicimports.org or www.protect-our-kids.org.
• Review product recall lists and get the unsafe products out of your homes and pass the word.
• Check local child care centers and schools for these recalled toys and get them out!
• If you need more lead tests, buy them from manufacturers such as www.leadcheck.com/ in the United States or www.leadinspector.com/ in Canada.

Join with the USW and help spread the word:

• The USW’s Women of Steel are sponsoring Get the Lead Out Safe Home sessions around North America to educate friends, family and neighbors about toxic trade and the danger of unregulated globalization. Visit www.stoptoxicimports.org or www.protect-our-kids.org to find events near you.
• Have your own Safe Home testing get together to share information about lead screening and toxic trade and to let friends and family know what they can do to help.
• Visit local toy, tire and other retailers to see if toxic/faulty products are still on the shelves.
• Join a USW action day at a local retailer or other high-traffic area where you can pass out campaign brochures and lead screening kits. Check the Web for details.
• Encourage your friends to visit www.protect-our-kids.org and join our campaign!
• If you’re not a USW member, join us now! Go to http://www.uswa.org/uswa/program/content/1264.php for an online application or send us the Associate Member application enclosed in your Get the Lead Out kit.

Ask your government representatives to fix the broken trade system that is allowing toxic and unsafe imports to threaten our families’ health:

• Write or e-mail them a letter saying something such as:

Dear (fill in the name):
Our children should be the top priority of our government. That is why I am imploring you to help put an end to unregulated toxic trade that is threatening our families with everything from lead-laced baby bibs and toys to toxic tooth paste. We need tougher trade laws that not only safeguard consumers but protect our jobs. We need to stop toxic imports from ending up on our store shelves and in our homes. Please take action now to protect our children and stop toxic trade!

Sincerely,
(Your name)

• Sign our online petition at www.stoptoxicimports.org then pass along the link and ask your friends, family and co-workers to sign it.