(Justmeans.com / CSR News) - SAN FRANCISCO, May 7, 2008 – Armed with a recent report showing that many common brands of cribs, changing tables and other children’s furniture emit dangerous levels of formaldehyde, San Francisco-based As You Sow, a non profit environmental and corporate accountability organization, today issued a series of 60-Day Notices to the manufacturers and retailers of the worst offending products, including Babies-R-Us, Target and Wal-Mart.

“Formaldehyde has been known to the state of California to cause cancer for more than 20 years” said As You Sow Executive Director Larry Fahn. “It’s appalling that baby cribs, diaper changing tables and other infant furniture that emit dangerous levels of formaldehyde are being made and sold in California. Not only are these sales in clear violation of California’s innovative Proposition 65 law, but they’re threatening the health of hundreds of thousands of children throughout the state” he added.

After reviewing the lab testing data from Environment California Research & Policy Center, and consulting with two independent scientific experts, As You Sow determined that the cribs and furniture pieces in question expose infants and their parents to dangerous levels of formaldehyde. The emissions are well in excess of the levels that would require a warning under the California Safe Drinking Water & Toxics Enforcement Act of 1986, commonly known as Proposition 65. While that law calls for the placement of consumer warnings, and the imposition of penalties and attorneys fees, Fahn said the goal of As You Sow in these cases will be to persuade the manufacturers to change the way their furniture is made, such that formaldehyde emissions are completely eliminated.

“As a mom with young children, it disturbs me that some of our mainstream retailers like Target, Wal-Mart and Babies-R-Us are selling such toxic products to unsuspecting parents,” said Ellison Folk, partner in the environmental law firm Shute, Mihaly & Weinberger, which is handling the case for As You Sow.

After the expiration of the 60-Day Notice period, the Notice recipients would be subject to litigation to enforce Proposition 65. The potential defendants in this case include manufacturers Delta Enterprise Corp. (manufacturer of the Bridget 4-in-1 Crib); Child Craft Industries, Inc. (Oak Crib with Storage Drawer); Jardine Enterprises Ltd. (Cherry Berkley Ready to Assemble Changing Table); Stork Craft Manufacturing Inc. (Kayla II Changing Table--Natural, and Rochester Cognac Crib with Drawer), South Shore Industries, Ltd. (Pure White Country Style Changing Table), and retailers Target, Wal-Mart and Babies-R-Us/Toys-R-Us.