Deborah Wood, The Oregonian, 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.