Guide to Help Parents Weed out Toxic Toys

Recent headlines about toys contaminated with lead and other toxins have parents worried. But just in time for the holiday season, a safety group has released a list of more than 1200 toys that they tested for toxins at HealthyToys.org. The online consumer guide lets parents find out what's tainted and what's not before they head out shopping.

The Ecology Center in Ann Arbor, Mich., which conducted the testing, found that only 28% of the products tested did not contain any lead, cadmium, arsenic, mercury or PVC.

Researchers believe that these chemicals are a threat to infants and children whose brains and bodies are still developing.

The consumer guide isn't a comprehensive list of the millions of toys available, but parents can nominate a toy for testing at HealthyToys.org. If it is one of the most commonly requested items, it may be tested in the weeks leading up to Christmas.

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