US: Lead found in more baby bibs? Bibs sold in Toys R Us, Babies R Us questioned

A California consumer group said Wednesday it has filed a legal action

against Toys R Us and Babies R Us for selling vinyl baby bibs said to

contain high levels of lead.

After hearing the news, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan's office

immediately dispatched investigators to buy the bibs and have them tested

at independent labs.

The bibs include Disney's Winnie the Pooh characters and store brands

called Koala Baby and Especially For Baby, which were found to have three

to four times the legal limit for lead, said The Center for Environmental

Health.

Toys R Us and Babies R Us said Wednesday it began to immediately pull

those products from the shelves and test them for lead.

For the second time this year, vinyl bibs used to catch drool and food

under a baby's chin have been the focus of lead testing.

Baby bibs, such as Disney's Winnie the Pooh bibs and ones with brands

Koala Baby and Especially For Baby, at Toys R Us and Babies R Us stores

have high levels of lead, a consumer group charged Wednesday. Illinois

Attorney General Lisa Madigan is investigating. (Courtesy of Center for

Environmental Health.)

In May, the consumer group and Madigan found that vinyl bibs sold by

Wal-Mart contained lead. Their pressure lead to those products being

pulled from Wal-Mart's shelves.

At that time, they learned of the lead from 66-year-old grandmother

Marilyn Furer of Mount Prospect. She had tested her grandson Jensen's bibs

after hearing about similar reports of lead in plastic lunch boxes. So

many of her grandson's bibs tested positive that she contacted the

California group, which spearheaded the campaign.

"You have to be very scared of what's out there," Furer said Wednesday

after hearing of the second round of testing. "No level of lead should be

acceptable in a bib."

In Wednesday's action, the Center for Environmental Health said it filed a

60-day notice of violation in California. Toys R Us and Babies R Us said

it hasn't been served yet.

"There's a complicated line of liability to follow the law and that

primarily involves the manufacturer, but we could go after the retailer as

well," said Caroline Cox, the center's research director.

Kathleen Waugh, a spokeswoman for Toys R Us and Babies R Us, said the bibs

have met federal standards. But the company decided to pull the bibs off

store shelves this week and test them.

"Because the products we sell are at the heart of our relationship with

our customers, we require them to meet extremely high safety standards,

including both federal government requirements and the even more stringent

California Proposition 65 requirements," Waugh said. "Our bibs are tested

against those standards every six months by an independent testing

facility and passed these rigorous tests, including as recently as May."

Toys R Us has 1,500 freestanding toy and baby specialty stores worldwide.

The company sells merchandise through 586 toy stores nationwide and more

than 670 international toy stores. Babies R Us sells merchandise in more

than 250 stores nationwide. Both also sell products online.

Illinois has one of the toughest laws nationwide regarding lead poisoning

prevention. It bans any children's product that contains more than 600

parts per million of lead, said Cara Smith, deputy chief of staff for

policy and communications at the Illinois attorney general's office.

Smith said the law provides for $2,500 in fines for each violation, and an

additional $250 per day for each violation that continues.

Investigators will have the bibs tested this week and the results will be

reviewed. Smith said they also will trace down manufacturers and

distributors involved in bibs that contain lead.

"Kids chew on bibs. That's what they do," said Smith. "It's hard to

envision any product that could cause a bigger problem for children than

bibs. It goes in their mouth sometimes and so would the lead. It's

shocking to know we're dealing with this."

• 182 Health
• 183 Environment
• 188 Consumerism & Commercialism
• 189 Retail & Mega-Stores