MSNBC is reporting that the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) just initiated an investigation into Zhu Zhu Pets toys. The popular toys might contain a higher than permissible level of the heavy metal antimony, which can sicken children if ingested, said MSNBC citing NBC News.
“CPSC is looking into the Zhu Zhu pet toy and we will complete our review swiftly,” the agency said in a statement quoted by MSNBC. “With new safety measures in place for children and toy recalls down from previous years, consumers can have greater confidence when shopping this year and in the CPSC,” the statement went on to say.
The agency’s investigation followed the naming of Zhu Zhu Pets as one of the top selling toys with low ratings by GoodGuide of San Francisco, said MSNBC. The toy pets are hamsters and the toxin was found on the hair and nose of one of the hamsters—Mr. Squiggles—said MSNBC. The toy, which is targeted to three-to10-year-olds, received a 5.2 rating on a 10-point scale, added MSNBC.
Antimony is used to prevent textiles and plastics from catching fire and when one is exposed over a period of time, can suffer adverse reactions, including cancer, to the lung and heart, as well as diarrhea and ulcers, said MSNBC. To be discovered in a popular children’s toy is worrisome, especially given that we are in the midst of the popular holiday shopping season.
The toy maker—Cepia LLC—located in St. Louis, Missouri, argued in a statement that Mr. Squiggles is “absolutely safe,” having passed what was described as “rigorous testing,” said MSNBC. Cepia also stated that it would be in contact with GoodGuides to share its testing information and learn how the GoodGuides report was founded, added MSNBC. “I have been in the toy industry for more than 35 years, and being a father of children myself, I would never allow any substandard or unsafe product to hit the shelves,” Russ Hornsby, Cepia’s CEO, said in the statement, quoted MSNBC.
Zhu Zhu Pets sell for about $10 and have become exceedingly popular this holiday season at retailers such as Wal-Mart, Toys “R” Us, and Target; the toys have allegedly sold for upwards of $40 at resellers including online sites such as eBay and Craigslist, MNBC pointed out.
The toys’ popularity caught the attention of GoodGuide, said its CEO Dara O’Rourke to the Associated Press (AP), adding that the group purchased a number of this year’s most popular toys, testing each on a variety of occasions, said MSNBC. Regarding Zhu Zhu Pets’ Mr. Squiggles, the toxin antimony was measured at 93 parts per million (ppm) on the fur and 106 ppm in the nose, which both exceed 60 ppm, the highest allowable level of the chemical, reported MSNBC, sighting O’Rourke. O’Rourke is also an associate professor of environmental science at the University of California, Berkeley.
Not unexpectedly, O’Rourke said the results also pointed to potential phthalate contamination, another chemical that has seen increased regulations under last year’s Consumer Protection Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA), said MSNBC. The Act included stringent lead limits, in addition to phthalate bans in toys, and also contained mandatory heavy metal limitations, including limitations on antimony, said MSNBC.
The TimesOnline described the toy—which is being rationed due to its intense popularity this season—as a “battery-powered robotic” hamster, one of four such toys. The toys is described, said the TimesOnline as: “Mr. Squiggles is a true Hamster ‘Prankster.”
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December 7th, 2009 at 8:00 pm
I have had the zhu zhu pets since the end of Sept. my 22mo old has had a rash for 4wks that is unexplainable. They keep asking me if I have changed anything..detergent,soap, ect. We have not. I wondered if this could be from this chemical? He’s scheduled to see a dermatologist. He plays with them all the time.
January 2nd, 2010 at 7:52 pm
My 7 yr old daughter just got “num nums” zhu zhu pet for xmas and she began having itchy red hands the next day, which progressed to excruciatingly itchy red feet(with swollen looking toes). She responded to Benedryl (2 doses) and was fine the whole next day so I canceled her MD appt on the following day. Then Monday night, she had severe burning ears(the cartilage part)and her ears were very red, then broke out with spots on one side of her face. Eventually the symptoms went away. I still wasn’t sure what it was but she hadn’t played with the Zhu zhu pet for a couple of days until today and she broke out in a rash again on her feet and hands and a little on her face. I am keeping it away from her until I can get further answers about these Zhu zhu pets.
February 21st, 2010 at 1:27 pm
My 5 year old got 8 zhu zhu pets on Christmas eve which was on thursday. Saturday she broke out in a rash all on her face and hands and neck. With it being Christmas with many new things we could not pin point the problem. The doctor gave her steroids and benedryl for 10 days with cream. Finally it cleared after 2 weeks. After that Saturday night I put the zhu zhu pets away since I knew she had played with them so much Christmas eve and Christmas and I knew there were comments about a possible recall before they were even bought for her. Well feb 18 2010 my daughter had been home I’ll and a relative had bought her more zhu zhu pets so we got out the pets once again. Now she was playing with all of them and once again broke out Saturday. This is crazy. I have no doubts that this is what she is reacted to. She has all the pets from the collection but not anymore. I will pack them up and get rid of them. I still have cream from before and will put that on but will monitor since last time it became very swollen and itchy. I wish there was better information out there.