American toy manufacturers must be the happiest folks in the world right now, given the rate at which toys from China are being discovered to have lead in them. Just about every evening on the local news, they announce a new product recall. This is my second Christmas as a dad, so it hits home with me in particular. My wife and [img src="http://sale-online.click/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/lead-toys-lol-retard.jpg" caption="" credit="" alt="lead-toys-lol-retard.jpg"]I have come close on more than one occasion to purchasing a toy for our infant that was later revealed to contain lead or a date rape drug (I wish I was making this up).
In steps Facebook application "Toy Recall Alert." Sure, it's opportunistic to create an app with a profit model (which this one has) around something like this. But they're providing a useful service. Just taking a look at the items listed there and the sheer number of toys and children's items that have been recalled is mind-blowing. There are seven pages of items that have been recalled recently, and even more that show with use of the search function.
The app's business model is based on a slightly targeted recommendation system. You enter a search term, to check on whether the toy you've purchased or are thinking of purchasing is recalled, and on the left will be some recommended toys that aren't going to kill your child.
For best results with this app, don't strictly rely on the announcement list. Most of the stuff I've heard of as being hazardous is listed there, but when I tested out the search function on a few toys that I remember as having been on the recall lists, much more showed up. If you're considering a toy, run it through this list, and you'll get your answer on whether it's hazardous, poisonous, or otherwise harmful.