Through a grant provided by the State of Washington's Attorney General's office, the state's Department of Ecology tested more than 200 children's products sold in Washington. The tests showed that most manufacturers are following requirements of the Children's Safe Products Act and toxic in packaging legislation. The CSPA requires companies to report their use of certain toxic chemicals in children's products, and the packaging law restricts the use of four toxic metals.
The testing focused on—and found—several classes of toxic chemicals:
Metals, including lead, mercury, cadmium, antimony and cobalt.
Phthalates, which are used to make plastic softer.
Parabens, which are used as preservatives in personal care products and cosmetics.
Formaldehyde and volatile organic chemicals.
Data can be accessed by searching a database on Ecology’s website. They can also join the children’s safe products email list for periodic updates.