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I cannot help but wonder what’s hidden in my baby’s toys–especially when he puts them in his mouth. Where did these toys come from? How were they made? How sustainable are these plastic rattles he throws on the ground?

Parents want to know if they’re putting kids at risk. Normally, play-time shouldn’t be full of worries. But in an era of lead paint scares, all possible harmful ingredients need to be exposed. Let’s see what’s behind all these seemingly harmless toys…

Except for a few non-toxic wooden toys, all of my son’s toys are made of some unmarked plastic. According to an article in Mothering magazine, toys labeled “2″ consist of high density polyethylene and those with a “5″ are made of polypropylene.

Another common ingredient is polyvinyl chloride, or PVC, a compound linked to health hazards and environmental degradation. Flexible PVC items, like teething rings, contain plasticizers called phthalates that may contain di-ethylhexyl-phthalate (DEHP), di-isodecyl phthalate (DIDP), and di-isononyl-phthalate (DINP).

Phthalates can leech out into a baby’s mouth and cause a hormone-like reaction. Environmentally-speaking, PVC production is the largest use of chlorine gas in the world and produces many hazardous byproducts, like dioxin, a potent carcinogen. Also, PVC is extremely difficult to recycle. Even in Europe, less than 3 percent of post-consumer PVC is recycled.

According to USA Today, Congress passed legislation to ban several phthalates in toys for children under 12. The legislation would take effect in six months after being passed.The European Union already banned baby toys containing PVC in 1999.

I don’t know about you, but I’m seriously considering ditching all my son’s plastic toys and only buying toys made from wood. It’s better to have a few quality toys than a bunch of chemically-laden ones.