1 in 4 Toys in Canada Contain Lead?

Is a cheaper price tag worth endangering our children’s health?

Toxic imports are making their way into Canada from China and other countries at a break-neck pace.  Little or no environmental and health standards there and a broken regulatory and trade system at home are putting our families at risk.

Already our kids have been exposed to:

• Lead-laced vinyl bibs
• Vinyl lunch boxes containing lead
• Lead-painted wooden trains
• More than 10 million recalled Mattel toys
• Dangerous tires
• Poisoned pet foods
• Tainted toothpaste

Unfair trade and rampant globalization have taken a big toll.  Millions of manufacturing jobs have been lost, devastating families and communities across North America.  Now, our children are at risk because of toxic, dangerous imports.

Safeguard your family

Stay updated on the latest recall information and get dangerous products out of your home!  Visit  www.stoptoxicimports.org for more information.

Screen toys and other products with at-home lead tests.  Lead is an invisible poison—if you don’t screen, discard questionable products!  Visit www.stoptoxicimports.org for more information on how you can request a USW lead screening kit.

Have your doctor test your family for lead.  It’s a simple finger or toe prick.  Lead accumulates and can cause brain damage, learning disabilities, behavioural problems, stunted growth, impaired hearing, kidney damage and even death.  It can be removed—but only if you know it’s there.

Buy North American-made products where you can.  Let corporations know that a cheap price tag is not worth endangering our families’ health.

Call or write your MP and tell them that we need legislation that toughens our trade laws and product safety regulations.

Recall information

It seems dangerous imports from China and other countries are being recalled daily.  Visit Health Canada (www.hc-sc.gc.ca) and toy manufacturers’ websites often for the latest information.

If you have recalled products in your home, return them to the store or manufacturer immediately!  Visit  often to get the latest.


This illustration shows how many tainted goods could potentially be purchased during one trip to a big box store.  The products shown here represent imported goods whose brand names have been changed.

Tires:
Up to 450,000 tires made by Hangzhou Thongee lacked a gum strip, a key safety feature that binds the belts of a tire to each other.

Vinyl lunch boxes:
Some contained lead.

Bibs:
Contained lead.

Diapers:
Contained excessive levels of fungus.

Teething rings:
May contain phthalates, a toxic chemical used to soften and smooth plastics.

Toy train:
Paint on wooden train contained lead.

Plastic baby bottles and sippy cups:
May contain polycarbonate, an ingredient in plastic, which can leach bisphemol-A, a suspected hormone disruptor that mimics estrogen.  That can cause low sperm count, obesity and neurological problems.

Pacifiers:
Rubber pacifiers or bottle nipples can contain chemical nitrosamines, which can cause cancer.  This chemical also is used often used in cosmetics and pesticides.

Juice:
Contained unsafe colour additives.

Seafood:
The US Food and Drug Administration found levels of the cancer-causing malachite green and high levels of fluoroquinolones, which can increase antibiotic resistance in humans.

Pickles:
Some contained unsafe industrial wax, formaldehyde and illegal dyes.

Toothpaste:
Contained diethylene glycol, a poisonous chemical used in anti-freeze.

Lipstick:
Contained banned Sudan I dye, an industrial dye and possible carcinogen.

Candies:
The US FDA recalled some Chinese-made candy after tests revealed it contained an uncertified colour additive.

Pet food:
Contained suspected melamine-tainted wheat gluten, a chemical found in plastics and pesticides.