2008 Woodie Awards
Ashland chemistry students find evidence of lead during testing of plastic Easter toys
By: THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Issue date: 3/18/08 Section: State
CLEVELAND - A chemistry professor who raised an earlier warning flag about toxic lead levels in toy jewelry didn't have to look far for evidence of similar risks in Easter items such as plastic eggs.
Thirteen of 45 items purchased off store shelves and tested by Ashland University chemistry students had paint made with lead, according to Jeffrey D. Weidenhamer, who has made the toy testing an annual spring rite for his students.
Lead, a highly toxic element, can cause severe nerve damage, especially in children.
Two years ago Weidenhamer and his students produced a low-profile study showing many common toys and trinkets, most made in China, had hazardous lead levels. The next round of testing last year got more attention as the issue of tainted Chinese products including toys, pet food and toothpaste made the headlines.
"It certainly demonstrates that the problem is still there," Weidenhamer said. "2007 was called by many people the 'year of the recall' and 2008 that stuff is still on the shelf."
Lee Ellis, 40, of Cleveland, who sometimes shops for toys for his niece and two nephews, said he is aware of the lead risk when buying. "I was about to buy my niece a doll. If it's from China, I won't buy it," he said.
Ellis said the leak risk stems from the drive to cut costs - harming both those who make or use the products. "You kind of hurt people both ways," he said.
Congress has weighed in on the issue, passing legislation to ban lead in toys as part of a bill to reauthorize the Consumer Product Safety Commission, which handles product recalls. House and Senate versions are awaiting a conference committee to resolve differences.
Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, a commission critic who has kept up with the Ashland research, asked the CPSC in a letter Thursday to review the campus work.
"Consumers believe the government is looking out for them," he told The Associated Press. "The government hasn't done its job."
Julie Vallese, a commission spokeswoman, said watching out for lead in toys is a priority. She said Ashland's past research, doubled-checked by the commission, has led to recalls.
Thirteen of 45 items purchased off store shelves and tested by Ashland University chemistry students had paint made with lead, according to Jeffrey D. Weidenhamer, who has made the toy testing an annual spring rite for his students.
Lead, a highly toxic element, can cause severe nerve damage, especially in children.
Two years ago Weidenhamer and his students produced a low-profile study showing many common toys and trinkets, most made in China, had hazardous lead levels. The next round of testing last year got more attention as the issue of tainted Chinese products including toys, pet food and toothpaste made the headlines.
"It certainly demonstrates that the problem is still there," Weidenhamer said. "2007 was called by many people the 'year of the recall' and 2008 that stuff is still on the shelf."
Lee Ellis, 40, of Cleveland, who sometimes shops for toys for his niece and two nephews, said he is aware of the lead risk when buying. "I was about to buy my niece a doll. If it's from China, I won't buy it," he said.
Ellis said the leak risk stems from the drive to cut costs - harming both those who make or use the products. "You kind of hurt people both ways," he said.
Congress has weighed in on the issue, passing legislation to ban lead in toys as part of a bill to reauthorize the Consumer Product Safety Commission, which handles product recalls. House and Senate versions are awaiting a conference committee to resolve differences.
Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, a commission critic who has kept up with the Ashland research, asked the CPSC in a letter Thursday to review the campus work.
"Consumers believe the government is looking out for them," he told The Associated Press. "The government hasn't done its job."
Julie Vallese, a commission spokeswoman, said watching out for lead in toys is a priority. She said Ashland's past research, doubled-checked by the commission, has led to recalls.
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