Wal-Mart Toys: Now With Slightly Less Lead!

NEW YORK - After facing recall after recall of millions of Chinese-made items, the nation's biggest toy sellers are imposing stricter measures on their suppliers — including tougher standards for lead content — to get ahead of expected new federal legislation....

A top priority is dramatically reducing the lead content in toys, since lead can be toxic if children ingest it. The current federal standard is 600 parts per million in surface coatings, but new legislation being considered would dramatically lower that to 90 parts per million.

Both Wal-Mart and Toys "R" Us are requiring their suppliers to conform to the 90 parts per million standard for products shipped on or after March.

Meanwhile, Toys "R" Us is requiring materials inside of the toys to meet a standard of 250 parts per million for lead for all products made exclusively for the retailer, compared with the current standard of 600 parts per million.

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