New Delhi: Not even toys are safe—Chinese or Indian. A special investigation by CNN-IBN and Toxic Links, an independent research group, found that 65 per cent of the toys were contaminated with lead and 14 per cent were heavily contaminated.

Lead in children can cause low IQ, retarded mental growth and even kidney and liver failure. What are the rules regarding toy safety in India?

What can you do as parents to ensure safe toys for your children? CNN-IBN show India 360 asked this to Ravi Agarwal, director of Toxics Link, Paresh Chawla, president of Toy Manufacturers Association of India, and Madhumita Datta, head of the Corporate Accountability Desk at The Other Media.

Datta, mother of a young child, said poor toy safety standards were a result of "corporate negligence plus zero regulation".

It’s only now that Mattel Inc has recalled toys worldwide that people in India are getting concerned about safety, she said. Agarwal, too, said that the problem was known but it’s only now that it has got attention.

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"There are problems with paints and materials used in toys. India doesn’t have standards for paints (used in toys)—these are all known problems. The issue is what are we doing about it," said Agarwal.

Chawla said his industry was worried about safety, as the "business was about children". But the industry actually needs not worry about safety or standards. India doesn’t have legal standards or norms for toys.

"There are only guidelines set by the Bureau of Indian Standards. We need regulators and a regulator to fix standards for toys. We don’t even have a regulator, so who is going to hold the baby?" asked Agarwal.

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Chawla admitted toys made in India carry limited safety warning or health instructions but said the industry must ensure such high quality that parents need not worry about warnings.

Dutta said parents have to be own their guard and be very careful about toys, as there was no regulator and the corporates didn’t care.

"I have been careful about the toys my kids plays with. I have been careful about the labels," she said. Selecting a safe toy is a “hit-and-miss” thing, said Agarwal.

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"I would suspect the brighter a toy—the PVC toys—is the higher it is on the danger list. Safety is something consumers have to ask from the industry."