Teether

A teether is a soothing tool for infants that are going through the phase of teething. European Commission's Scientific Committee announced that they are banning phthalate softeners in baby toys. Because of toxic residue in six phthalate that were used in the manufacture of baby toys such as rattles and teethers. European Union's plastic industry contests the validity of the ban.

In the United States, a nationwide recall of Nuby, Playschool and Cottontails gel-filled teethers followed a warning by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that consumers should not use the products, as the liquid inside the teethers has been found to contain bateria that could cause serious injury.The gel teether recall was announced July 17, 2009, shortly after the FDA discovered two lots of the Nuby teether contained Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus circulans bacteria. Although the bacteria is not likely to cause problems in adults, infants and children with weakened immune systems could be susceptible to illness or more serious disease.