The top U.S. Consumer Safety official warned against the use of heavy metals, “especially cadmium,” in children’s products in a taped keynote speech delivered to regulators at the APEC Toy Safety Initiative in Hong Kong on Tuesday.
“All of us should be committed to keeping hazardous or toxic levels of heavy metals out of surface coatings and substrates of toys and children’s products,” said U.S. Consumer Safety Chairman Inez Tenebaum.
Chinese companies drew fire last year for the use of lead paint in children's toys manufactured in China.
Since the investigations into the use of lead paint last year, it has been suspected that many companies in China are using cadmium, antimony or barium metals as a substitute.
Cadmium, a metal used within rechargeable batteries which can cause cancer if ingested, was particularly singled out.
“I believe that the heavy metals cited in F963 (the Standard Consumer Safety Specifications for Toy Safety,) especially cadmium, are going to attract attention in the United States from consumer advocates, the media, and parents.”
