Remember earlier this year when reports of lead in toys from China seemed to come at an alarming rate?

It's really scary because even if you don't have a child of your own, you're probably aware that for wee ones, everything goes in the mouth. So, it's a great cause of concern that many of the toys going in the mouths of babes might contain seriously harmful things like lead. Or cadmium. Or even arsenic. 

And just like cosmetics, the U.S. government doesn't have stringent testing guidelines for safety on children's products, meaning that just because it's in your toothpaste, shampoo or Polly Pockets Dance Dance Party doll set, doesn't mean it's passed safety tests. It's really up to us, the consumer, to be sure that these things in our everyday life--especially children's toys--are the least threatening they can be.

Enter Healthytoys.org.

Created by The Ecology Center, a non-profit environmental organization, Healthytoys.org is a research-based clearing house/database that contains information culled from environmental health organizations and researchers around the country on over 1, 500 toys. What they've done is to take the guesswork out of knowing if that toy for your tot is in the "good" or "bad" realm. 

And just in time for the holiday season, they've released their annual review of healthy toys today.

Highlights include:

• Lead is Still in Toys - HealthyToys.org found lead in 20 percent of all the products tested this year. When children are exposed to lead, the developmental and nervous system consequences can be irreversible. The Healthy Michigan, Healthy Kids platform calls for implementing the American Academy of Pediatrics threshold level of 40 ppm for toys sold in Michigan.
  
  
• It's Not Just Lead - HealthyToys.org found that 2.9 percent, or 45 products, had bromine at concentrations of 1,000 ppm or higher. This indicates the likely, unnecessary use of brominated flame retardants - chemicals that may pose hazards to children's health. HB 4465, pending in the state House, would severely restrict the use of one type of brominated flame retardant. Arsenic was detected at levels greater than 100 ppm in 22, or 1.4 percent, of products; 289 (18.9 percent) of products contained detectable levels of arsenic. Mercury was found above 100 ppm in 14 (1 percent) of products; 62 (4.2 percent) of products contained detectable levels of mercury. The Healthy Michigan, Healthy Kids platform calls for no more than 40 ppm of mercury or arsenic in children's products.
  
  
• It's Not Just China - HealthyToys.org has not found a consistent correlation between the country of manufacture and the presence of toxic chemicals in toys.
  
  
• Jewelry - Jewelry remains the most contaminated product category tested.   Children's jewelry was five-times more likely to contain lead above 600 ppm than other products tested by HealthyToys.org.
  
  
• The Good News - The good news is that 62 percent (954) of the products tested contain LOW levels of chemicals of concern, and 21 percent (324) of all products contain NO chemicals of concern. These products look and feel no different than other children's products on the shelf. These findings show that manufacturers can and should make toys free of unnecessary toxic chemicals.  

 And click here for more info.