Good Guide says Zhu Zhu pets are unsafe
Image from Flickr.
Zhu Zhu pets might be unsafe, according to consumer group Good Guide. The little hamster robots that have won the hearts of Americans are now under investigation. The Consumer Product Safety Commission is running tests to find out the levels of antimony and whether Zhu Zhu pets have unsafe levels of the chemical.
Good Guide says antimony can cause cancer, lung and heart problems. The group also says the light brown hamster, Mr. Squiggles, contains unsafe levels of antimony. Parents might be wise to wait until the federal commission completes its tests before they blow all their cash til payday on Zhu Zhu pets that might be unsafe.
Details on whether Zhu Zhu pets are unsafe
The federal government says levels of antimony up to 60 parts per million are considered safe. However, Dara O’Rourke, co-founder of the California-based GoodGuide, says that the group found levels between 93 and 106 parts per million in Mr. Squiggles. The maker of Zhu Zhu pets, though, says the toys are safe.
“All our products are subjected to several levels of rigorous safety testing conducted by our own internal teams, as well as the world’s leading independent quality assurance testing organization, and also by independent labs engaged by our retail partners,” Russ Hornsby, CEO of Cepia, said in a written statement. “The results of every test prove that our products are in compliance with all government and industry safety standards.”
Cepia is based in St. Louis, Missouri, and the Zhu Zhu pets have become very popular in the United States as well as Europe.
Feds say investigation will be swift
The Consumer Product Safety Commission has said it will complete the investigation into whether Zhu Zhu pets are unsafe quickly. So, if Zhu Zhu pets are on your holiday shopping list, you might want to sit tight until the commission determines whether Zhu Zhu pets are unsafe.
