Toys Recalled For Toxic Barium Hazard
A new threat has emerged in the constant struggle that is the toy recall saga. Toy recalls are up 40 percent this year and some of those toys were recalled because barium was found on the toys. Seven toys have been pulled from shelves this year after tests found barium used in the paint on those toys. Barium testing was not conducted last year, so this could open up another can of worms on toy recalls if toys are now tested for high barium levels.
Barium is used in paints to create pigments and it’s used rarely in kid’s toys made in Canada because of the hazardous product legislation, but the standards aren’t the same when trading with other countries.
The barium was found mainly in wooden toys that have brightly colored paint. This is another problem with the wooden toys since wooden toys were already being recalled for a choking hazard.
The product testing focus was on lead content, but this year testing has included other hazardous metals like mercury, antimony and arsenic. It seems the problem goes a little bit deeper than once thought and it’s becoming a serious concern.
The seven toys that have been recalled for the barium use are:
- Geometric Stacker
- Toy Dump Truck
- Stacking Train
- Wooden Alphabet/Number Blocks
- Zolo Zippy
- Pop Up Toy
- Big Top Flippity Flops
Importing is part of the problem with safety standards for toys. Not all countries have the same safety standards and it’s widely felt that when importing from other countries, the standards should be the same to avoid problems like this since many of the recalls were from toys made in other countries.
Many of the toys are made in other countries, like China, which is contributing to the size of the toy recall problem. Their standards are different.
For more details, read the Canadian Press article here.
Leave a Reply