KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- A researcher at the University of Tennessee is helping develop green toy standards.
Catherine Wilt helped devise an environmental toy standard, UL 172, introduced in February by UL Environment, a subsidiary of Underwriters Laboratories. Wilt said there are standards addressing the safety of toys, such as choking hazards, but there are no North American standards about toxicity.
UL 172 is applicable to play products made from wood, plastic, rubber, textiles, metal and bio-based materials.
Wilt said toxic toy recalls in recent years have made consumers more wary about the safety of toys.
She is director of the Center for Clean Products at the university's Institute for a Secure and Sustainable Environment.