Safe enough? No.

All is not right in the skies over America's playing fields. (All is not right with the playing fields either, but more on that in a minute.) More than a million remote-controlled toy helicopters were recalled in 2008; the problem is with the rechargeable batteries that power the copters, which can overheat, burn people, and start fires.

Last holiday season, we wrote about the large number of recalls in 2007 due to high lead levels in toys and children's jewelry, and about Consumers Union's frustration over the fact that lead was still being used after decades of studies spelled out its dangers. (For an update, see Look Out for Lead.)

New legislation will essentially eliminate lead in all children's products, require safety testing of toys before they hit the market, and give the Consumer Product Safety Commission more muscle and a bigger budget. All good. But that doesn't mean we're in the clear.

New recalls

October saw another huge recall of cribs, almost 1.6 million, for a flaw that led to infants' being trapped and suffocating. (See Crib safety.)

And then there are those artificial-turf playing fields. Various government agencies are at odds over whether the levels of lead found in some of them should worry us. CU thinks it should, and we've asked the appropriate agencies to assess all risks and not ignore research that raises concerns.

A similar confusion surrounds the chemical bisphenol-A, or BPA, which is found in plastics including baby bottles and water bottles, and in the lining of cans. The Food and Drug Administration says don't fret. We say, not so fast. A major study released on the same day the FDA murmured reassurances associated elevated BPA levels in people with increased rates of heart disease, diabetes, and liver problems. Canada has just become the first country to take steps to ban BPA in baby bottles.

So while Consumers Union is hopeful that lead-tainted recalls will start to drop, we'll still hammer away on those other safety issues. We aim for an ever safer new year.