A Concerned Parent's Toy Safety Issue

As a parent, I have watched issues on T.V., blasting off about lead content in the toys consumers have purchased over a length of time, with many item recalls pertaining to those instances. The numbers reached very high levels of these recalls, so much so, that personally I thought maybe my little girl was already playing with some. I was not overly concerned because my daughter didn't get into a habit of putting anything beyond food and drink, lucky for me, and her.

Approximately one year ago though, something struck me in the thought of a safety issue, that had not crossed my mind, until one crazy day at my little girl's bath time. I looked at all her colorful little toys, and they looked kind of dirty so I figured of course, I'll clean them up. So I washed the exterior with some non-toxic cleaners, and then it really hit me, a little hole in the bottom of one, two, three, bath toys. The old fashioned "rubber duckies" or Winnie the Pooh, or some crazy looking pink elephant and baby. The holes were black looking, and the insides of these toys were filled with stagnant water and "sludge", rather gross. I squeezed with all my might to extract this excrement. All I got was nasty water and some of the sludge, and not all of it would come out.

I reported the issue in question to the Consumer Products Safety Commission, explaining in full detail expressing my concerns. This is bacteria! Today I again sent my report in question to them for further review, and I'm thinking I'll get the same back: "Report the issue again and send pictures."

These toys are found all over, in every country, in every store, including the wonderful U.S.A. in manufacturing them. They all range from great Disney characters loved by children to the most basic "rubber duckies." They are made in a manner that it is pretty much impossible to clean the interior, and what comes out of them could be getting into the mouths of our youngsters.

I wonder if this same bacteria can cause children breathing troubles, or some other incidents much more vital. It seems to me that this is a vald safety issue, and I don't think I'm the only parent who has wondered about it. Could there be children out there that have some unknown health situations that could be linked to consuming bacteria from these types of products out there on the market, sold in vast numbers?

I took some of these well-known, well-loved toys, out of my child's play-time in the tub. She would squeeze them when she played and some of the sludge would come out into the bath. I replaced them with toys that did not contain these little holes in the bottom from which I struggled to clean out. It is a strong suggestion for any parent to find out as much information as possible for something like this, maybe it could already pose as a threat to your child's health that you were unaware of. Report the situation at hand, because it could help others given the knowledge of it. Could the consumption of this type of bacteria carry long-term effects that harm the body later on in life?

I have to be thankful that my daughter has been fairly healthy other than the common cold at this point, and hopefully it will remain that way through her lifetime. All toys should really be analyzed thoroughly, not just by those who send out a recall, but by us as parents.

Awareness is key in the writing of this article because it effects everyone that could possibly be at risk. I will await the reply from the Consumer Products Safety Commission in hopes that they can provide some answers to the many questions at hand, if something will be done to correct the ongoing still being manufactured flaws. I'll be happy to also submit another article in regards to what they have to say about these products and if there have been other reports and/or tragic circumstances surrounding the issue caused by the consumption.