AG: Check Toy Recall List During Holidays

December 21, 2009

Jackson, Miss. - The Christmas holiday is a great time for parents to double-check the safety of the toys their children are playing with, reminds Attorney General Jim Hood.

"The seemingly endless list of recalled products on the consumer product safety commission's Website is proof that even the best of companies sometimes release less than safe products into the market stream," said Hood. "That's why parents must take it upon themselves to check out the toys their children are playing with."

The best resource for parents to check to see if the toys their children are playing with have been recalled is the Website of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). The CPSC recall list can be found at www.agjimhood.com .

"We are doing everything in our power to strengthen laws in this area to protect our kids," said Hood. "In fact, in January we will be re-introducing a bill called the 'Children's Product Safety Act'."

The bill protects children from dangerous and unsafe toys and other children's products that have been recalled. The bill was introduced in 2008 and passed the legislature overwhelmingly, but was vetoed by Gov. Haley Barbour.

If passed, the bill would require the attorney general to, on his Website, keep a list of unsafe toys that have been recalled by the federal government or the product's manufacturer. Additionally, sellers would be prohibited from selling dangerous and recalled children's products.

"Some of the 9 million products recalled by Mattell in recent years contained 110,000 parts per million (ppm) of lead even though the federal maximum is 600 ppm," said the attorney general. "This bill is designed to get the lead out of children's toys. We've taken good steps in this area, but we need the law to really see change."

Mississippians are encouraged to contact their lawmakers and ask them to support this legislation.