The Oregonian, Deborah Wood

June 10, 2008 

Be wary of lead in some dog toys. The Center for Environmental Health (cehca.org), an advocacy group based in Oakland, Calif., has found high levels of lead in some dog toys and accessories.

Research director Caroline Cox said the group had examined about 30 vinyl dog toys, based on which children's toys have been found to have high levels of lead in the past. Of those, two showed levels more than 15 times the lead paint standard.

Those toys were a Helichomper Flying Disk and a Fetcher Playball.

Silent dog whistles manufactured by Aspen Pet and by Top Paw, and an identification tag tube from Aspen Pet were found by the group to have lead levels 100 times higher than the federal lead paint standard.

The pet products were purchased at California Petco and PetSmart stores. The lead testing was done with X-ray fluorescence and confirmed by an independent laboratory.

"The American Academy of Pediatrics calls lead 'a serious threat to children's health.' We know much less about lead's effects on pets, but there's no reason to expect it to be any less toxic for pets than it is for people," said communications director Charles Margulis of the Center for Environmental Health.