By Rep. Peggy Pendleton

Special to the Leader

One of the joys in life are grandchildren. As is the case with many grandparents who are lucky to live near their grandchildren, mine often spend a few hours a week at our home while my son and his wife run errands or have an evening out alone. As a grandparent, I have become concerned about whether the toys at my home for their visits are safe for them to play with. 

  I decided to do some research on children’s toys after hearing so much during the holidays regarding toys being recalled by manufacturers. In 2007, more than 20 million toys were recalled for safety concerns. Many of these toys were made in China, which now produces 80 percent of all toys sold in the United States. Toy recalls are prompted by potential hazards to a child such as choking or strangulation, or because of the presence of toxic chemicals in the toy. 

  Like most Americans, I have had my confidence shaken by the toy recalls. I assumed that manufacturers and retail stores would be prohibited from selling toys that contain toxic chemicals, such as lead. Yet, I have learned that with the exception of lead used in paints, there are few federal or state requirements regarding which chemicals can be used in children’s products. Even more shocking is that toy manufacturers are not required to disclose to consumers the type of chemicals used in their products to consumers.

  We need to protect children from chemicals and toxins because their brains and organs are at a critical stage of development. Because of their weight, the impact of a toxin on a child may be 20 times stronger than the impact on an adult. 

  Through my training as a nurse, I have learned that the first five years of a child’s life are critical to development, particularly brain development. The presence of toxic chemicals at critical stages of development of a child’s neurological, reproductive, or immune systems can lead to life-long problems.

  The approach we have taken as a society toward toxic toys is unacceptable. I was appalled when I read the story of a 4-year-old child from Minnesota named Jarnell Brown. Around Valentine’s Day in 2006, Jarnell swallowed a metal charm from a free bracelet that came with a pair of Reebok sneakers his mom had bought. During the next several days the boy began acting extremely tired and started vomiting. His condition rapidly deteriorated until he began having seizures, his brain became swollen, and he ultimately fell into a coma. During an X-ray, doctors found the heart-shaped charm the child swallowed. On Feb. 22, Jarnell died of acute lead poisoning. Parts of the metal charm were found to be 99 percent lead.

  Following the child’s death, Reebok paid the family an undisclosed amount of money. Just last week, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Reebok agreed the company would pay a $1 million dollar fine, the highest fine ever for a violation of the Federal Hazardous Substances Act.

  This story left me extremely troubled. All the money in the world will not bring back that child. In terms of public policy, we shouldn’t leave it to lawyers and consumer protection agencies to deal with these issues after a child dies or becomes ill. We should be protecting children from these toxic hazards and preventing these products from entering the marketplace, and we should be looking beyond lead toward other unregulated chemicals that cause harm.

  A first step to protecting children in Maine is legislation that has been introduced by House Majority Leader Hannah Pingree to create a tracking system of chemicals that the state identifies as harmful, and it will require manufacturers to disclose if their products contain those chemicals. Pingree’s bill would establish a process for replacing them with safer alternatives, and allow us to cooperate with other states, share information and promote safer chemical use.

  After years of inadequate attention at the federal level, Congress is poised to make a number of changes to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. The U.S. House and Senate have both passed bills, which will now be reconciled by a conference committee, to provide more protection for consumers. The proposals include banning lead in toys, providing more inspectors at our nation’s ports, and increasing fines for companies that knowingly sell toxic toys.

  We all must become better educated about the products that we purchase, particularly those for young children. Children are our most precious, and vulnerable, resource. We as adults must ensure that our children are able to live, and play, in safety and in health.