The holiday buying season is off to a big start, some green oriented information to keep in mind.

The use of phthalates in toys and childcare items has been restricted in the European Union since December 1999 and became restricted from children’s toys and child-care products in the USA starting February 10, 2009 . The law is not retroactive, so stores may have items with phthalates after that date.

Big retailers like Toysrus and Walmart are already following this new standard. So beware of toys being sold during the Christmas season from smaller retailers that might be trying to clear out non-compliant toys or that have no idea what products contain.

In November, 2011 the US Public Interest Research Group tested toys and found over a dozen out of 200 toys that contained unsafe levels of lead, phthalates, and other hazards. There were also some toys that were too loud and could damage hearing. While the numbers of problems is still a cause for concern, the new law has reduced hazardous chemicals in toys.

WSJ.com has details.

Of course, Look for toys with labels on packaging that state they are phthalate-free.

HealthyToys.org has a database of toys and what they contain.