This week, Maryland will take an aggressive stand to keep lead away from children. A new law will require manufacturers to comply with testing standards to limit the amount of lead in products they touch.
It's a tough decision in the first place - letting your kid pick out a toy to take home.
Recently, the choice has gone beyond the price to a closer look at the label.
Numerous toys with the words "Made in China" were recalled late last year after concerns about paint containing lead.
"I think that there are a lot of quality toys out there that are painted but if you don't know which ones to buy you're just going forgo them," said Towson parent Michele Streckfus.
Maryland lawmakers decided to make the shopping a bit easier by passing a law that says lead levels exceeding 600 parts per million are not allowed on store shelves.
"What it says is when this gets to the border of Maryland, if you're going to sell it, if you're going to distribute it, you can't do that here. And it puts responsibility on the corporate side," said Ruth Ann Norton, Executive Director, Coalition to End Childhood Lead Poisoning.
Norton say lead can cause serious health problems. The new state law will also regulate other accessories like jewelry and clothing. The Department of the Environment will be the watchdog agency.
Not all parents are convinced. Paul Trueschler says "it really needs to be a federal law because the toy manufacturers can't cope with different regulations from state to state to state."
Ruth Ann Norton insists manufacturers will have to comply or face fines starting at a thousand dollars a day.
Maryland will join Illinois and California, states that have already regulated lead in products, when the law goes into effect Tuesday. Advocates say it's a start but ultimately no lead should be in products that children touch.
