That Hannah Montana necklace (left) might be loaded with lead. And “Road Racers cars? (right)” A large helping of bromine, perhaps, known to be a neurotoxin if enough accumulates in the body.

Those are just two of the “worst toys” on the just-released Toxic Toys list from HealthyToys.org, a Michigan environmental group. The nonprofit group says one in three toys it tested contained medium or high levels of “chemicals of concern.”

The list rates more than 1,500 popular children’s toys for the amount of lead, cadmium, arsenic and other toxic compounds.

“This is literally an ingredients list,” said Jeff Gearhart, the group’s research director. “We think it’s a conservative and protective approach.”

The release of the list provoked a sharp response from the Toy Industry Association, which says the toys tested are safe and that the environmental group’s testing method — a hand-held X-ray device — is inadequate to accurately gauge chemical levels.

“It’s misleading, just because of the way the products were tested,” said Toy Industry Association spokeswoman Adrienne Citrin. “It doesn’t adhere to tough federal standards.”

Some of HealthyToys.org’s sobering findings:

- Lead was found in 20 percent of the toys — a small percentage of which had more than 600 parts per million, the federal health threshold for lead paint.

- Many more had lead levels far above the American Academy of Pediatrics’ recommended cutoff of 40 parts per million.

- We can’t blame it all on China. In fact, the group found no correlation between country of origin and chemicals in toys.

- The rating, in its second year, found that children’s jewelry remains the most contaminated of the group’s product categories.

Is there any good news? Gearhart says yes:

- 62 percent of the toys tested contained low levels of the group’s nine chemicals of concern; 21 percent contained none.

- Since the group’s first toy rating last year, lead levels in the toys tested has declined by 50 percent, suggesting, Gearhart says, that manufacturers are responding to public concerns.

- The group also offers a “best toys” list, those without high levels of worrisome chemicals.

See the full report and lists.

(Photos courtesy of HealthyToys.org.)

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