Blog Post

Lead Found in Baby Products


February 12, 2008
Topic: Products Liability

2007 will go down as the year when the presence of lead in toys became a national and global concern. Since the first recalls of lead-coated toys were announced in the middle of the year, millions of toys manufactured by the likes of Mattel and RC2 have been yanked off store shelves. The toy industry reeled under the impact of high quantities of lead found in the surface paint of its toys.

Lead is back in the New Year, and this time, it's suspected that baby products are at risk for contamination. The findings were announced by a California-based environmental group, which also blew the whistle on the lead paint story. This time, the findings have sparked off a dispute among critics of these products and those who say they do no harm.

The Center for Environmental Health, which conducted the tests, found increased quantities of lead in baby products made of vinyl plastic. Prominent among these are the Medela cooler for storing breast milk, another cooler manufactured by RC2, a baby bottled cooler by Playtex and a vinyl pacifier carrying case manufactured by Skip Hop.

The tests were conducted by a hand metal detector and were then sent to a laboratory to confirm findings. The results show that the products had between 1,100 parts per million and 5,500 parts per million of lead.

The lead quantity in the products are on the higher side, but surprisingly the issue has not raised a hue and cry, unlike the lead paint toys which child health experts and doctors were united against. In fact, the plastics and baby product industry is expected to criticize these findings widely. The reason for this is that there is no law yet that bans the presence of lead in baby products. Lead in toys is covered under a ban, but so far there has been no movement calling for a ban on lead in all kinds of baby products.

Do we really need to wait until babies begin to fall sick from lead in their coolers or pacifier cases before we begin taking stringent actions? Lead paint in toys was linked to a number of kids becoming sick all over the country, and it took nationwide outrage to force the authorities to introduce safety checks. Do we have to wait until something similar happens to babies who are exposed to lead in their products? How can we assume that something that is universally acknowledged as dangerous to kids when it forms a layer on their toys is safe for little babies?

The Center for Environmental Health maintains that no amount of lead in any kind of product used by children should be tolerated. Thankfully, legislators are now considering the possibility of banning the lead in any kind of baby product, no matter what the material.

The story gets murkier. The Vinyl Institute is surprised at the finding of the Center for Environmental Health. According to them, the use of lead in plastic products has been discontinued for a number of years and substitutes like calcium or zinc were being used in its place.

If you have a child that has suffered negative side effects from a dangerous toy, you need the help of an experienced California personal injury plaintiff's lawyer. Contact an attorney at The Reeves Law Group for a free consultation.


The California personal injury attorneys at The Reeves Law Group represent victims of accidents, injuries and wrongful death throughout California from our offices in Los Angeles County, Orange County, San Diego County, Riverside County, San Bernardino County, Ventura County, Fresno County, Kern County, Sacramento County, San Fernando Valley, Long Beach, Antelope Valley, Torrance, Glendale, Bakersfield, Santa Ana, San Jose, San Francisco, Oakland, Ontario, and Victorville.