Signs of improvement

A new federal law strongly supported by Consumers Union, the nonprofit publisher of Consumer Reports, imposes tougher limits for lead in all products primarily intended for children age 12 and younger, who are especially vulnerable to the metal's toxic effects on the brain and other organs. Starting in February 2009, total lead content in any children's product cannot exceed 600 parts per million. That limit drops to 300 ppm six months later.

Previously, federal limits of 600 ppm applied only to paint or surface coatings on products. That created a regulatory loophole allowing the sale of vinyl, metal, and plastic products with worrisome amounts of lead. Among them were two that we identified in our December 2007 report: samples of red toy blood pressure cuffs sold in Fisher-Price Medical Kits and orange caps on Elmer's Glue Sticks with "Dora the Explorer," "Go, Diego, Go!" and "SpongeBob SquarePants" designs.

When we recently checked to see whether those products were still available, the results were encouraging. Our mystery shoppers searched online and at retailers in seven states and were able to purchase only four of the lead-tainted products: three kits with red blood pressure cuffs sold at a store in Arizona and one kit sold on eBay.

At a Wal-Mart in New Jersey, we discovered a red cuff too. But upon checkout scanning, the cashier told us it could not be processed for sale. The blue cuffs now in most of the medical kits our shoppers found tested negative for lead, as did the orange caps on Elmer's Glue designs, such as "Cars," "Disney Princess," "Hannah Montana," and "High School Musical."