Walmart Pet Toys Contain Lead
September 23, 2007 by Editor
Filed under CONSUMER REPORTS, Dangerous Pet Products, Pet Product Recalls
September 20, 2007
Pet Toy Industry Rocked by Reports that Chinese-made Pet Toys Contain Poisons
Wal-Mart imported from China catnip toy found to contain toxic metals.
Green Monster latex doggie toy sold at Wal-Mart and imported from China also contained toxic metals.
Two Chinese-made pet toys sold at Wal-Mart stores contain elevated levels of lead, chromium and cadmium. The testing was done through ExperTox Analytical Laboratory in Texas. The company was hired by ConsumerAffairs.com to conduct tests on four pet toys purchased at a Wal-Mart store in Kansas City, Missouri. All the toys had a tag attached that read, “Marketed by Wal-Mart stores and Made in China.”
Two toys of the four toys (one a latex dog toy, the other a cloth catnip toy) tested positive for elevated levels of lead, chromium, and cadmium. According to ConsumerAffairs.com, “Two veterinarians told ConsumerAffairs.com the levels of heavy metals found in the toys do not, in their opinion, pose a threat to dogs or cats. Whether they are a hazard to children and adults who handle the chew toys is unclear.”
However, a physician stated quite clearly, “Poison is poison.” Dr. Rashid Buttar is head of the Center for Advanced Clinical Research in Huntsville, North Carolina. He emphatically stated that, “I’m a dog lover and, no, I don’t want my dog to be chewing on a dog toy that has lead.”
Good point!
Since both dogs and cats are smaller than humans it stands to reason that high levels of any poison would affect them more. Toxic substances build up in the body and put undue strain on the liver and kidneys. As caretakers of our animal friends we need to aware of the dangers certain toys may present to our pets. Please read the labels carefully and if a pet toy is manufactured in China it would be best to avoid purchasing it.
The result of the story posted at ConsumerAffairs.com is that companies who import dog and cat toys from China are now triple-checking their products for toxins. However, I would be skeptical about this. I am not saying that they are telling an untruth, I am just stating that self-regulating strategies rarely work out. As for me and my pets, I’m avoiding anything manufactured in China.
