Are Zhu Zhu Pets and Other Popular Toys Dangerously Toxic?  by
Xin Lu on 8 December 2009 10 comments Photo: Zhu Zhu Pet  The
hottest toy of this holiday season is a little electronic
hamster named the Zhu Zhu Pet. The $9.99 toy is this season's
Tickle Me Elmo and parents are lining up early to snatch one for
their kids. Millions of these cute little toys have been sold,
but a consumer products website called Good Guide claims that
these toys contain some toxic chemicals. Is this a good reason
to take these toys to the dumpster?  GoodGuide is a website that
scores over 70,000 consumer products for their impact on health,
the environment, and the society. In a recent report about
popular holiday toys, the website reported that Zhu Zhu Pets has
high levels of antimony and tin. However, the website does have
a disclaimer that says these levels of chemicals "are not
intended to correspond to levels known to cause health effects."
In the case of the toxic metal antimony, it has to be ingested
or absorbed to cause h