It wasn’t too long ago that media, consumer groups and parents nationwide were immersed in the dangers of toxic chemicals in toys. At the forefront of the discussion was Thomas the Train Engine, a television character, made into a toy, beloved by young children throughout the country. Due to the toy’s popularity, when rumors of lead in the toy arose, thousands of parents across the country were all the more apprehensive.

The problem was in the paint. Fisher Price produced these Thomas the Train Engine toys with a surface paint containing dangerous levels of lead that, according to reports, could cause severe injury to young children if exposed to such high levels.

For many parents around the country, accountability became the most important issue. Who is responsible for monitoring toys and how can I ensure my kids are safe?

That’s why, during this period, many other toys came under the spotlight for the possibility of dangerous chemicals in the paint. These toys included popular products such as Polly Pockets, Dora the Explorer and many more. In total, Fisher-Price recalled almost 90 toys during the summer of 2007.

In 2008, Congress passed and signed into law the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act which works to strengthen and broaden consumer product safety laws within the U.S.

One of the phases of the Act addresses lead paint. The new lower limits apply to three categories of products:

1. Liquid paint and similar surface coatings intended for consumer use;
2. Surface coatings on toys and other items intended for use by children; and
3. Surface coatings of a variety of consumer furniture items.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission administers and enforces this new act and requires that manufacturers, importers and retailers comply with new requirements, standards and restrictions. The Act also raises potential civil penalties to $100,000 per individual violation, $15 million for aggregate violations and it increases potential criminal penalties to five years of imprisonment.

These new provisions and penalties help to keep companies accountable and put more control in the hands of the Commissions by allowing it to monitor and enforce new requirements. The Commission is responsible to make certain that toy companies respond and reconfigure toys when safety is called into question.

We’re going to continue this discussion next week and talk about different facets of the Act.

In the meantime, we encourage your comments and feedback on the topic. As a parent, what is your single biggest concern in toy safety? What would you like to see done to protect kids?