Toxic Toys on Shine

How Sen. Gillibrand is Trying to Keep Your Baby Safe

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Bath-time basics: soap, water ... formaldehyde? A recent study finds carcinogens in baby-care products, and New York's Senator Kirsten Gillibrand responds with legislation to ensure that products are safe. We caught up with the senator to find out what she's doing to make bathtime safe again.

By Lexy Schmertz

Are we exposing our kids to harmful chemicals in the bathtub? Turns out that many common baby shampoos and bubble baths contain known carcinogens—formaldehyde and 1,4 dioxane, according to a recent study by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics.

Even more shocking is that the same companies that tout their products as "gentle" and "pure" are not required by the Food and Drug Administration to list these harmful chemicals, because they aren't considered ingredients in the products, but rather contaminants that develop post-manufacturing. Common preservatives release formaldehyde over time, according to the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics. And 1,4 dioxane is a by-product of a chemical-processing technique called ethoxylation, in which cosmetic ingredients are processed with ethylene oxide.

Safe Toys Part Two: Why Did Green Toys Fail On HealthyToys.org?

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Since my last post about green toys getting bad ratings on HealthyToys.org, the project of The Ecology Center, a Michigan based nonprofit, I've been in a funk. It's not enough for me - as a journalist or as a mom -- to just report that organic toys are...

"Safe" Toys Not So Safe

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I lost my toy tossing virginity last week. And I'm not happy about it.

Last year, I talked many parents through their anger, frustration, and anxiety as lead-tainted toy after lead-tainted toy was recalled. I calmly explained the issues...

Toxic Toys? Find out if your child is safe

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Parents have had too many scares this year with recalls for lead in paint on toys and BPA in baby bottles. Companies that manufacture meal-time items for kids are starting to tout their BPA-free products. But toy manufacturers? A little slow on the "promote toxic-free kid stuff" bandwagon,...