On August 1, 2024, Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced a legally binding resolution requiring Dollar Tree to pay $190,000 and enhance testing protocols for children's products. This follows an investigation that revealed school supplies sold by the retailer contained illegal levels of toxic heavy metals, lead and cadmium.
To avoid litigation, Greenbrier International, operating as Dollar Tree, entered into an agreement in King County Superior Court. The company must now ensure that laboratories outside the U.S. follow verified testing methods for these metals.
“When I buy products for my kids, I expect them to be safe from toxic metals,” said Ferguson. “Companies that sell products to children must ensure they are safe. If they don’t, they will hear from my office.”
The Washington state Department of Ecology's tests on children's bracelets and pencil pouches sold at Dollar Tree stores in 2018, 2019, and 2021 showed illegal levels of lead and cadmium. Some pencil pouches contained more than four times the legal limit for these metals. The results were forwarded to the Attorney General’s Office for further action under state and federal consumer protection laws.
Upon being informed of the findings, Dollar Tree provided documentation from foreign laboratories indicating permissible levels of toxic metals. However, an independent review identified errors or missing information in these tests. Dollar Tree cooperated with the investigation and removed the flagged products from its stores.
Under the new agreement, Greenbrier is required to implement specific reforms over the next five years:
- Ensure independent expert audits verify laboratory testing methods.
- Adhere strictly to state and federal limits on lead (100 ppm federally; 90 ppm in Washington) and cadmium (40 ppm in Washington; 75 ppm federally).
Greenbrier will also pay $190,000 to support future enforcement of consumer protection laws and environmental efforts.
Assistant Attorneys General Junine So and Jonathan Munro-Hernandez from the Environmental Protection Division handled this case along with Assistant Attorney General Susana Croke and Senior Counsel Tad O’Neill from the Consumer Protection Division. They were supported by Senior Investigator Eric Peters and paralegals Virginia Castro, Joseph Drouin, Matt Hehemann, Heather Zamudio as well as Legal Assistants Jesse Curry and Luis Oida.
Washington’s Attorney General serves both its people and state agencies by enforcing various protection laws including those related to consumers' rights and environmental safety.