Lead safety in toys

Answers to the questions you may have about lead-free toys and lead safety in toys. 

As a specialty toy retailer, Ape to Zebra gets frequent questions about the safety of our toys and the lead content in toys in general. We hope that this article will shed some light on frequently asked questions about lead in toys and put the testing methods and results advertised by various toy testing institutes into perspective.

First of all - what is lead? Lead is a heavy metal - it has an atomic number of 82, which makes it one of the heaviest elements. Lead is believed to form due to radioactive decay of other elements - although lead itself is not radioactive. As a metal, lead is soft, with a grayish to white color.
 

Humans have used lead for thousands of years. It is abundant, easy to forge, and highly resistant to corrosion. A small amount of trace ingredients increases the strength of lead significantly, expanding its usability significantly. Lead was used in the roman empire for water pipes.
 

Lead has a wide range of applications in construction, lead-acid batteries and can be found in bullets and solder. Lead is highly resistant to corrosion and is used as a container for highly corrosive acids which would otherwise corrode through other types of materials. Due to its atomic properties, it is an excellent shielding material for X-rays and is therefore used in medical and dental applications to protect patients and personnel from X-ray exposure. At one point lead was commonly used in paints. Until the eighties, lead was also used a stabilizer in gasoline which allowed internal combustion engines to run more efficiently.
 

However, in spite of its many uses, lead is toxic. Over time, lead builds up in soft tissues and bone - the human body does not have an efficient way of getting rid of lead in tissues. Especially in children, this may manifest in blood and brain disorders.
 

As a natural element, lead is in the environment and all around us. It can be in the water we drink and in the ground we use for planting our crops. Trace amounts of lead will likely be present in the workshops used for manufacturing toys or present in the raw materials used for toys (or any other consumer products for that matter). For this reason, some scientists argue that it is impossible to make lead free toys, but independent testing of toys by healthytoys.org and other organizations has come back with results showing 0 for any heavy metals content - meaning that in fact, producing lead free toys is possible if the manufacturers are committed to doing so. 
 

Well, let's rephrase that one...
 

It is possible to manufacture toys that don't leach any lead under the testing conditions applied by independent organizations like healthytoys.org but just because their testing results show 0 ppm, it doesn't mean the toy is completely lead free. Depending on their testing method it could mean that the toy is safe (because no lead or heavy metals are released from the toy).
 

What we don't know (and I am still waiting for a response from healthytoys.org) is how their testing for lead and heavy metals is done. Do they only do a surface test or do they expose the toy to rigorous testing procedures like those set out in EN-71 (covered in the next few paragraphs).
 

It is possible for a toy to contain lead and still show 0 ppm lead (or heavy metal content) when tested, just because the lead doesn't leach out under testing conditions. This doesn't mean that the toy is lead free - and only on close evaluation of the actual testing method used will we be able to conclude if the toy is safe for our babies and children to play with.
 

To say that a toy is completely LEAD FREE would require measuring the lead content of the toy as a whole (not only leachable lead) and also to test each toy coming from the the assembly line (since variations can occur in manufacturing process or the raw materials used). Some testing techniques are destructive in nature - the toy is no longer in a usable form after the test is completed. To give a lead free certification is almost an impossible task.
 

There is some good news however. There are various standards that, when adhered to by toy manufacturers, provide a high level of confidence in terms of lead safety. Lets discuss.
 

Toy Safety Standards - which one is the best in terms of lead in toys?
EN-71: Part 3 is the European Toy Safety Standard that deals with the heavy metals allowed in toys. The EN-71 test method simulates the digestive process in the stomach which means that it applies to both the surface finishes of the toys as well as the chemical composition of the toys (the materials underneath the surface of the toys).
 

The Canadian and American toy safety standards only deal with the surface finishes of the toys. This is a problem since we all know that babies and toddlers love to explore everything with their mouths and are exposed to the embedded materials of the toy once the surface finish is damaged.
 

The risk of lead exposure through consumer products depends not only on its total lead content, but also on the proportion of lead which is released from the product into the body under certain conditions, such as chewing, sucking, or swallowing of the product. This proportion is called the migratable or leachable lead content. In this soluble form, lead is available for absorption into the body. Although higher total lead concentration in a product will generally result in a proportionately larger migratable lead concentration, there is no reliable correlation between the two.
 

EN-71, ASTM F963-07 (USA Toy Safety Standards) and Canada's CRC c.931 all allows for up to 600 ppm (parts per million) or 90 mg/kg lead in toys. The 90mg/kg toy basically means that for every kg of toy, 90mg is allowed to be leachable lead (lead that can migrate from the toy). Please note that the 90mg/kg is only a restriction on the migratable lead content. The actual lead content of the toy can be much higher.
 

The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has, by regulation 16 C.F.R. Part 1303, required that "items intended for children" contain less than 0.06% leachable lead by weight or 600 mg/kg total leachable lead. ASTM is following the direction of the CPSC with regards to safe levels of lead in toys.
The European Community has adopted legislation limiting heavy metals in children's toys, under which toys may contain a maximum of 90 mg/kg leachable lead. This standard is the same as that found in the British Standard Specification for the Safety of Toys - Part 3: Migration of certain elements"(9). The 90 mg/kg limit is based upon the World Health Organization assessment of the tolerable weekly lead intake.
 

The 90mg/kg is considered trace if you look at the toy safety standards but when you start reading all the articles of lead, you will soon realize that the definition of  trace is in the eye of the beholder. The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests that 40 ppm should be acceptable level of lead in any product targeted at babies or children - not just toys.
 

So as long as we trust the strict European toy safety standards and only buy European toys then we are safe.... False.
 

In an article published on April 17, 2003 in The New England Journal of Medicine, two scientists at the University of Cornell found that children suffer intellectual impairment even at blood levels as low as 10 micrograms per deciliter (mcg/dl). The studies showed a loss of about 7 IQ points for children at 10 mcg/dl if compared to children with 1 mcg/dl lead. To put this into perspective - 10 mcg/dl translates roughly into 100 ppm which is much lower than the safe lead levels in toys (600 ppm) specified by the European, Canadian and US toy safety standards. 
 

There is no safe level of lead when it comes to toys or ANY product that babies and children get in contact with.  HealthyToys.org is doing a great job of doing some independent testing of toys and reporting on the lead content and other heavy metals found in these toys. The only problem with this kind of testing is that usually only one or two toys per brand is tested and the tests aren't repeated for every batch of toys imported from Europe, China, Asia etc. Therefore we are making assumptions by assuming that the results apply to all similar toys. On the upside - if you deal with reputable manufacturers that work according to safety and quality standards then there is a good chance that if one toy is testing 0 leaching of lead (or other heavy metals) the rest of the toys will be as well.
 

That being said - what does Ape to Zebra have to say about the safety of our toys?
 

Being parents of young children we know how important toy safety is, and know how difficult it is to find time to research each and every toy to make sure it is safe before you buy it. You have our commitment that we go out of our way to ensure the safety of toys and source our toys from reputable manufacturers. We try our best to ensure that we only sell toys that are lead free - show 0 ppm leaching for lead (or other heavy metals) when tested. These toys are made by responsible manufacturers like Haba, Selecta, Heros, Grimm's, Plan Toys, Melissa and Doug, Estia, Hess, Wow Toys, Educational Insights, Skuut to name but a few.
 

You will notice that we do sell toys made in China and we do that because we know that these toys meet lead safety standards, are PVC free, and are sourced from toy manufacturers who care and are committed to bring safe, educational toys to parents. Apart from the educational play value of these toys, they are good value for money. Not all good toys need to be expensive. We want to ensure that parents have choice in quality educational toys that are safe for their babies and children to explore with all their senses.
 

I also want to make use of this opportunity to warn parents not to focus only on the toys that are in your house - but to be aware of the safety concerns of ANY product your baby or child comes in contact with on a daily basis. Babies come into contact with all kinds of objects in the household - some of these can lead to lead exposure. If living in a older home, be careful about renovation projects - some older paints contained lead and there is a risk of generating lead containing dust. Some older homes may have lead pipes.
 

Europe is currently taking a look at banning toys inside food products (for example cereal boxes). Cheap toys that contain migratable lead (or heavy metals) can potentially contaminate the food inside the box. Even if you throw the cheap toy away that is in the cereal box - there is still a contamination risk.
 

What follows a list of products that your children may be in contact with that can contain lead. Also remember - if you are breastfeeding or pregnant and you are in contact lead - you will be passing that lead on to your baby.
 

• Artists’ supplies such as paints (other than paints for use by children), pigments, and frits (mixtures of sand and fluxes used in glassmaking).

• Leaded crystal.

• "Gray market toys", where the manufacturer or the testing certifications are unknown.

• Protective/ decorative coatings on a wide variety of products (other than children’s products, pencils and artists’ brushes).

• Fastenings and trim on clothing.

• Lead shot.

• Fishing sinkers and jigs.

• Lead came used in panel and stained glass windows and doors.

• Batteries - such as car batteries.

• Lead vent and roof flashings.

• Lead paint is in older homes - especially while renovations are happening.

• Drinking water - US has a standard that allows for a maximum of 0.015 mg lead per liter of water, while Canada allows 0.010 mg lead per liter of water.  TIPS:  Run cold water first thing in the morning or any other time the system hasn't been used for a number of hours, as lead levels in tap water typically increase as water stands in pipes.  Use cold tap water for drinking, cooking and making baby formula, since hot water is more likely to contain lead.

• Some “natural” medications sold in other countries contain lead as a major ingredient. It is critical to avoid any medications or natural health products sold without an ingredient label.

• Food trace levels of lead are found in almost all food.

• Airborne lead falls onto crops or soil and is absorbed by plants.

• Inexpensive, horizontal PVC (plastic) mini-blinds made in Asia or Mexico may contain lead.

• Workers in smelters, refineries and other industries may be exposed to high levels of lead. Lead dust may be breathed in and can also cling to skin, hair, clothing and vehicles, and be carried to the home, exposing workers' families.

• Lead can enter food, especially acidic food such as fruit juice, from lead-based glazes on glassware and ceramics. Canadian regulations limit lead content in glazes on glassware and ceramics used in preparing, serving, or storing food. However, pottery or glassware from abroad may contain enough lead to be a hazard to your health. Leaded crystal is widely used for serving beverages. When the crystal comes in contact with beverages, especially acidic beverages such as port, wine, fruit juices and soft drinks, some lead dissolves into the liquid. The amount of lead that dissolves depends on the lead content of the crystal, the type of beverage and the length of time they are in contact with each other.
  Do not serve pregnant women or children drinks in crystal glasses.

• Lead fumes or particles can be released when waste oil, colored newsprint, battery casings or lead-painted wood is burned.

• Using lead solder in a hobby, such as in making stained glass, lead shot or lead fishing weights, may expose you or your family to harmful lead vapors.

• Some candle wicks, typically wicks of votives, pilfers, tea lights and other novelty candles, may contain lead in their cores. These cores are used to support the wicks and make them burn more slowly and evenly. As the combustible cotton portion of the wick burns down, the lead core melts and is volatilized as a mixture of elemental lead and its oxides. These lead vapors are hazardous if inhaled. Un-inhaled vapors settle out as leaded dust on nearby surfaces. This leaded dust also represents a health hazard, particularly to young children. Two national surveys of candles, carried out by Health Canada in 1999-2000 (52) and in 2001, found that lead-core candles are being sold on the Canadian marketplace. Approximately 71% of the candles had metal cores containing lead concentrations in excess of 600 mg/kg and of those almost all were roughly 100% lead.
   

I want to conclude this article by saying that I am not a chemist nor a scientist. I am a concerned parent and I strive to be a responsible toy retailer that sell safe toys. The content of this article was sourced from various studies, government sources, publications on toy safety, my own interpretations of what I read and so forth. This article is for informative purposes only, summarizing some of the current findings on lead in toys.
 

Cornel Heydenrych
Ape to Zebra