One in four pet products tested by a nonprofit environmental research group had detectable levels of lead—and 7 percent had levels higher than 300 p.p.m., the current Consumer Product Safety Commission standard for lead in children’s products, according to The Ecology Center (Ann Arbor, Mich.).

The test results for more than 400 pet products, including beds, chew toys, collars and leashes, are posted at HealthyStuff.org, a project of The Ecology Center. The site, launched Sept. 17 with information about children’s products, apparel and accessories, cars and more, ranks product danger levels as high, medium or low based on their chemical profiles.

Approximately 90 percent of products tested at press time were made in Asian countries, said Jeff Gearhart, research director for The Ecology Center, during a teleconference to mark the launch of the site.

Tests of tennis balls led to an interesting discovery, according to Gearhart. “We tested both pet tennis balls as well as sporting tennis balls, and found that 50 percent had detectable levels of lead in them, with the pet tennis balls exclusively being the ones we found lead in,” he said. “There was no lead in the balls from the sporting goods manufacturers.”

Visitors to HealthyStuff.org can look up products by manufacturer, brand or product type and easily generate lists of highly rated and poorly rated products.

“The more we test, the more we find that the presence of toxic chemicals is widespread in everyday consumer products,” Gearhart said. “It should not be the responsibility of public health advocates to test these products. Product manufacturers and legislators must take the lead and replace dangerous substances with safe alternatives.”

In fact, Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.), and Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Ill.) are expected this fall to propose new legislation to reform the Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976, which gives the Environmental Protection Agency authority to set reporting, recordkeeping and testing requirements, as well as restrictions related to substances like asbestos, radon and lead-based paint. [November 2009 PET AGE]