Fisher-Price Pulls Another Lead-Tainted Product In Illinois Only

Consumer Reports says that Fisher-Price has finished testing another toy blood pressure cuff and have found that it exceeds the Illinois lead limit for toys.

From Consumer Reports:

You may recall that the state’s action with the first blood pressure cuff was prompted by Consumer Reports’ December investigation “New worries over lead” in which we reported finding high lead levels when we tested samples of the red Fisher-Price toy blood pressure cuff, among other items. Our findings prompted Madigan’s office to begin an independent investigation that led to Fisher-Price’s decision to pull the product out of the state’s stores. The reason: Illinois bans the sale of toys, clothing, jewelry or other children’s products that contain lead in excess of 600 parts per million. It is one of the strongest lead laws in the country and more stringent than federal regulations, which place limits on only paint and surface coatings. There are no federal limits on lead in plastics such as PVC.

The current action with the green cuffs was initiated by Fisher-Price, which tested the product and then reported it to Illinois. Fisher-Price spokeswoman Juliette Reashor explained: “Through research, we identified a similar instance with the green cuff, which revealed levels of lead that, though fully compliant with all federal and international standards, exceeded the Illinois statute. We proactively reached out to the State of Illinois to inform them of our findings.”

“I am pleased that Fisher-Price took the initiative to test its products, self-report a violation, quickly remove the affected blood pressure cuffs from store shelves, and offer replacements to consumers,” Madigan said. “I continue to urge manufacturers and retailers to review and tighten up their quality control procedures so consumers can be confident that the items on store shelves are safe for their children.”

Previously, Fisher-Price’s spokesperson had made a statement informing consumers that only red blood pressure cuffs were “affected,” because the other colored cuffs were made from different materials.

Fisher-Price pulls second lead-tainted blood-pressure cuff off shelves in Illinois [Consumer Reports]

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