by Heidi Green
February 23, 2008

Thank you, Toys R Us.

I was still reeling from the recent study of phthalates in baby care products when I read about the company’s new regulations. Toys R Us, a giant among toy retailers, has issued new regulations aimed at eliminating both phthalates and polyvinyl chloride (PVC), the plastic that contains the compounds, from their products by the end of this year. This is good news for any parent who is concerned about their child’s exposure to these manmade, hormone-altering chemicals. Toys R Us and its sister store Babies R Us have, according to Chairman and CEO Gerald L. Storch, “already begun replacing PVC and phthalates in juvenile products manufactured exclusively for” the company.

In addition, the company has announced:

• There will be a significant increase in the frequency of third-party testing, including each batch of products imported.
• All product samples selected for testing will be chosen by the third-party, certified laboratory, eliminating the submission of so-called “golden samples” by toy manufacturers.
• Lead in surface coatings may not exceed 90 parts per million (ppm). (Compare this to the federal standard of 600 ppm!)
• Lead in substrate materials may not exceed 250 parts per million. (Again, compared to the current standard of 600 ppm!)
• Lead-screening equipment will be used in company auditing of all products at their point of origin and at various points in the supply chain.
• Nickel-cadmium batteries will be eliminated from all products.
• Toys will be date-coded, so that future recalls can be more specific.

I’m sure there will be more safety concerns for children’s toys in the future, and I wish these changes had been made sooner. Also, I’m still waiting to hear what the U.S. Congress will produce with its Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) Reform Act, as well as what the CPSC will be doing with the authority it is expected to be granted. Nevertheless, I am heartened to see Toys R Us—and Wal-Mart, which has announced similar changes—taking these steps now. I applaud both companies for these actions.