Just a day after I post a reader comment about the high lead levels caused by Melissa and Doug toys, a new recall of 3 Melissa and Doug toys was released by Health Canada.
I was tipped off to this by reader and blogger Alicia Bayer, who outlined the story for us in this informative post. Thanks, Alicia!
Remember my post last year about the stacking train? That was also recalled for barium and the woman I spoke with from Melissa and Doug assured me it was from a specific run of the toys, was highly unusual, and didn't pertain to U.S. markets.
Hmmmmm--
Do you think Melissa and Doug is just betting that the CPSC is too busy to notice? Too underfunded? According to Alicia's article, the toys are made in the same facilities in China (SUCH a great safety record there). Now, with other recalls for barium, what sort of trust can we have in them? Not so much.
What harm can barium do?
According to Health Canada, "Some forms of barium are safely used in medical and commercial applications, while other forms of barium can be toxic, causing adverse health effects such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and cramps as well as more severe symptoms. Children's toys coated with paint containing barium in excess of the allowable limit are strictly prohibited in Canada."
Here is information about the recalled toys (from Health Canada):
This recall involves all batches of the following three products by Melissa & Doug.
•Slice and Bake Cookie Set: The set includes a tube of 12 sliceable wooden cookies with 12 decorative toppings, a kitchen mitt, a wooden cookie sheet, knife and spatula. The recalled sets can be identified by UPC 000772040747. Health Canada tested batch number ZP1208.
•Shape Sorting Cube: This toy is a wooden cube with a lid and 12 colourful cut-out shapes that fit into 12 holes, based on the shape. The cut-out shapes are red, yellow, green, and blue. The recalled toys can be identified by UPC 000772005753. Health Canada tested batch number XY0309.
•Pound-a-Peg: This toy includes 8 colourful wooden pegs, a wooden hammer, and a wooden bench. The pegs are red, green, yellow, and blue, and can be pounded into the wooden bench using the hammer. The recalled toys can be identified by UPC 000772004961. Health Canada tested batch number ZP0609.
The advice from Health Canada? Take these toys away from the children.
Now the question remains, will there be a recall in the U.S.? Or is this another example of a "regional specific" recall? As Alicia points out, there is no information on Melissa and Doug's website about this.
Maybe if they stick their fingers in their ears and shout "la--la---la!" it will all go away, especially right as the holiday shopping season begins.
Not us. Let's not buy one single Melissa and Doug toy. We've seen here how they have been unsafe in several instances. Buy U.S. made, unfinished or safely finished wood toys.
15 comments:
I just ordered the Slice and Bake Cookie Set a few days ago for my daughter for xmas :( I was just thinking i wanted to buy a few of the other sets too and just got online to look at them and saw your tweet..this isn't good :( it should be here any day. I guess I am going to have to send it back, if its it. Scary stuff, thanks for the info!
I have two of these toys for my son, and he just received M+D wooden vehicles for his birthday. Is there any chance of getting a refund from the company? Perhaps if M+D were hit in the wallet, they may began to put safety first.
The limits on barium in U.S. toys imposed by CPSIA were given a stay until February 2010. I'm guessing the CPSC is already or will be looking at them at that time. The one thing we couldn't figure out about this story is whether the Canadian and (imminent) U.S. limits are equivalent or if they are more stringent on either side of the border. Have you learned anything about that?
You're awesome! Thanks for all the research you do in your "free time", Katy! I forwarded this post to the Grandma's so that they'd avoid Melissa & Doug for Hanukkah gifts.
-Sharon G.
We have *ALL* these toys, as well as the stacking train from your last post. And our entire puzzle collection is Melissa and Doug. I am not a happy mama right now.
Thanks for the information! Holgate Toys makes an USA made version of the Pound-a-Peg toy, called the Bingo Bed. Available at www.DownToEarthToys.com
I am so angry right now! My daughter loves the cookie set and has had it for months. I just sent an email to M&D to explain my distrust. Taking them off the Christmas list for sure!
What a bummer!....I had 2 of these toys on my son's Christmas list for the family. I feel betrayed that these products are still available in the US.
I am sad about this because I love our Melissa and Doug calendar & slice & play birthday cake. They have always given us such great service too. :-( Well, our kids are old enough I don't have to worry about them putting anything in their mouths, but now I won't be buying any of their toys or recommending them to anyone else.
Thanks for your comments, folks! It is really frustrating.
Jeremiah-I have a feeling M and D would say it is a Canada only problem, as they have said with other batched recalls. Trouble is, since the US is not yet looking out for this, they could be simply not worrying about our market because they don't have to. I am basing this only on my other interactions with M and D after other Canadian recalls. I will research this more, though, and post any results here. Thanks for visiting and commenting!
What do you do about the recall for the stackable train?!? We have it and never knew there was a recall. Thanks!
All paint contains chemicals, lots of them. I would not want to eat paint so when you buy toys with paint for young children who like to suck on them , you are taking a risk.
I own the shape sorter but have never seen my child put one of the shapes in this month.
I notice they have toys that are shaped like food, that have paint on them, I can guarantee they will be recalled at some point.
I called Melissa and Doug about this. I talked to Dana in M&D's customer service (800) 718-5365. She says that this recall was specific to Canada bc they could trace it to very specific batch of toys. Even though the UPC codes are the same, they are not the same batch. She said that the set is perfectly safe. She also offered two other names - Lisa and Amanda - of people in the company who can speak to this in more detail. I'd actually be interested in more detail (!) but am chasing 2 2-year olds in between so couldn't stay on the phone. I specifically asked if this recall was only in Canada bc they have stricter guidelines than the US - she says that is NOT the issue, but I can't say I am entirely calm about it. I don't have enough information to know if that is a part of the issue. I am trying to find more information and wondered if anyone there can help? DOES the US have less stringent standards than Canada?
I recommend reading the following letter from the CEO of Melissa and Doug over at Z recommends, which explains a lot.
Short story is that the Canadian government uses a much stronger agent to leach out the barium from the paint to measure it than the US/Europe (an 22x-80x higher concentration of acid, depending on when the testing was done). So of course the levels measured are higher. The actually allowed levels are the same in the US and Canada, but the different methodology obtained a different amount of barium.
http://www.zrecommends.com/detail/exclusive-melissa-doug-answer-recall-questions-pledge-new-standards/
i hope someone is checking this...
i was cleaning the kids' toys and noticed that we were missing some pieces, so i plunked in "melissa and doug cake set" and this came up...
just wondering, if this is from 2009, would toys made in 2010 have the same problems? or are they exempt? was the problem sorted?
we have two of the sets mentioned above, and copious amounts of other melissa and doug toys... i'd like to know if they're safe or not??
Post a Comment