Safety Alert: ZhuZhu Pets

If you are like a lot of parents,including me--- your kids may be playing with or absolutely vying for the hottest pet of the year - the Zhu Zhu Pet, and more likely, you may have one stored away for the holidays.
 
There is some concern about the safety of this popular "artificially intelligent" hamster. Good Guide.com, a consumer watchdog group, reviewed the toy and claims that “dangerous contaminants” were found on the nose and head of the hamster.

A recent development, they found a metal called antimony which "if ingested in high enough levels can lead to cancer, reproductive health, and other human health hazards," said Dara O'Rourke, co-founder of goodguide.com and an associate professor of environmental science at U.C.-Berkeley.

Good Guide said that the federal limit of antimony is 60 parts per million where Zhu Zhu pets had 93 parts per million in their fur and 103 in their nose.

They went on to state that the danger to children occurs if they touch their mouth after touching the Zhu Zhu Pet. As we all know, the likelihood of our kids putting their hands in their mouths is very likely...

Cepia (the toy manufacturer) CEO Russ Hornsby released a statement to CBS NEWS stating that the hamster toys are "absolutely safe and has passed the most rigorous testing in the toy industry for consumer health and safety.”

"We are disputing the findings of Good Guide, and we are 100 percent confident that Mr. Squiggles, and all other Zhu Zhu toys, are safe and compliant with all U.S. and European standards for consumer health and safety in toys."

No recall has been issued, but O'Rourke said "... if you're concerned about it then we recommend that you call the company or potentially return the product if you feel it's not safe enough for your kids."


What will you do?