Asbestos in Children's Products

Just before Christmas, parents were shocked to learn that a popular toy aimed at pre-teens was tainted with asbestos. The CSI Fingerprint Identification Kit, based on the popular CSI: Crime Scene Investigation television series, had been tested by the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization along with hundreds of other products available to consumers. Those tests showed that the fingerprint powder included in the kit contained as much as 5% asbestos. Federal regulations allow up to 1% asbestos in consumer products – a level that many health officials and agencies worldwide feel is far too high.

Even worse, the instructions with the kit directed children to sprinkle the asbestos-containing powder on fingerprinted surfaces, then blow gently on it, sending the asbestos fibers into the air where they could be inhaled. Inhaled asbestos has been proved to cause mesothelioma, a rare cancer, and other cancers and health issues. Planet Toys of New York, the U.S. distributor, stated that they regularly inspected plants in China, and tested toys to be sure that they meet the safety standards held by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. A spokeswoman added that the agencies don’t require asbestos testing, so the company had never been apprised of any acceptable levels of asbestos in toys.

It’s not the first time that asbestos has been found in products meant for use by children. Around the same time as the CSI toy story broke in the news, parents in Connecticut and upstate New York learned that the clay their children were using in school contained asbestos. The ADAO also found several kinds of art clay distributed for use by children that contained asbestos. The modeling and art clays are used to mold shapes which are then allowed to dry. Once those pieces are dry, the asbestos in the clay can become airborne if the piece breaks, or is sanded or otherwise disturbed, and become a health hazard.

As things stand now, most of those products are perfectly legal for sale in the United States. The current Ban Asbestos in America bill was meant to ban asbestos in all products, but critics charge that it has been gutted in an effort to compromise with big businesses. Those compromises allow industry to continue to make and distribute products with up to 1% asbestos in them without labeling them as containing asbestos.

If your child is a budding artist or scientist, you want to do all you can do to encourage them in their pursuit – but you don’t want to expose them to deadly toxins in the process. While attention has been focused on lead in imported children’s toys, there are many other hazards of which parents should be aware, including asbestos.
What can a parent do to protect their children from asbestos in children’s toys?

- Look for toys with the AP label, awarded by the Art & Creative Materials Instittute (ACMI). The AP label certifies that the toy contains no ingredients found hazardous by a toxicologist. Be aware, though, that ACMI doesn’t do its own testing and relies on manufacturers’ reports.

- Look on the label for the words “conforms to ASTM D-4236”, which indicates that the manufacturer voluntarily conforms to the standards set forth by the American Society of Toy Manufacturers.

- Ask companies for the product MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheets).
If in doubt about a toy, don’t buy it and don’t allow your children to play with it.

This entry was posted on Friday, March 14th, 2008 at 1:43 pm and is filed under Asbestos Exposure. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS feed. Responses are currently closed, but you trackback from your own site.