Are Zhu Zhu Pets Dangerous?
One of the hottest toys this holiday season is a mechanical hamster called "Zhu Zhu", but some new information calls into question the safety of Zhu Zhus. GoodGuide.com, a California company that tests the health impact of hundreds of products, says Zhu Zhu pets have high levels of a toxic chemical.
"The Zhu Zhu we found a chemical called antimony which is a metal which has potential health hazards related to it which if ingested in high enough levels can lead to cancer, reproductive health, and other human health hazards," says Dara O'Rourke of GoodGuide.com. O'Rourke says the federal limit is 60 parts of antimony per million but the Zhu Zhu pet has 93 parts per million in the fur and 103 in the nose.
GoodGuide.com says the danger comes when kids touch the toy and then touch their mouths or put the toy directly in the mouth. The toy is made in China for a company called Cepia LLC headquartered in St. Louis. The company insists the toy has passed rigorous tests and it is safe.
Most kids don't care about the GoodGuide.com warning. They still want Zhu Zhu pets. "It's a pet that runs around. It has a car. It has a ball," says a local young girl named Sarah who's hoping to get a Zhu Zhu hamster for Christmas.
"It's like a toy but it's like a real hamster. It's like a hamster without the mess," says Christopher in Orchard Park who says his little sister wants a Zhu Zhu pet.
Some parents who talked with Eyewitness News on Sunday though said they're less likely to buy Zhu Zhu pets now. "I think they should be recalled actually," said Patricia Quinn.
Sources: MSNBC, WKBW-TV, Topix
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