121,000 Asbestos-Contaminated Toys Recalled in U.S.

On May 21, Orb Funkee recalled over 121,000 children’s toys after federal safety officials found asbestos in squeeze toys. The recalled products were sold at Walmart, Amazon, and toy stores nationwide for up to 18 months.

No injuries have been reported yet — but the Consumer Product Safety Commission warns these hazards cause severe and sometimes fatal harm, especially in children. If you’ve bought children’s toys from Walmart, Amazon, or toy stores in the past year and a half, check your house right now.

The most gut-wrenching part? These aren’t obscure products from sketchy websites. These are toys sold at stores you trust, played with by children whose parents had no idea they were handling carcinogens.

TLDR: Your toddler’s favorite squeeze toy might be slowly poisoning them with cancer-causing asbestos — you know, what causes mesothelioma decades later.

Asbestos-Contaminated Toys to Avoid

Stop using these products immediately and check if you own them:

Orb Funkee Squeeze Toys

• Model 17451: Large golden monkey
• Model 41929: Small “monkees” in orange, purple, green
• Date code: 3102491A
• Sold: Walmart, Ollie’s Bargain Outlet
• Hazard: Contains asbestos that causes cancer when inhaled

If you have one, bag it, return it, and spread the word — these were sold widely enough that other parents in your circle may own them too.

The Asbestos Discovery That Should Terrify Every Parent

The Orb Funkee toys aren’t just contaminated — they’re designed to spread the contamination. According to the CPSC recall notice, these squeeze toys are filled with sand containing fibrous tremolite asbestos. Every time a child squeezes one during play, they potentially release cancer-causing fibers into the air around them.

Think about how children play with squeeze toys. They hug them. Squeeze them repeatedly. Hold them close to their faces. Put them in their mouths. Some probably sleep with them.

The Centers for Disease Control warns that breathing asbestos fibers causes difficulty breathing, lung cancer, and mesothelioma — a particularly aggressive cancer linked directly to asbestos exposure. The cruelest part: These diseases often don’t show up for decades, meaning a 3-year-old playing with a contaminated toy today could develop cancer at 30.

What makes this especially infuriating: Asbestos has been a known killer for generations. There is no safe level of exposure, especially for children whose developing lungs are more vulnerable to damage.

What You Need to Do Right Now

Stop using Orb Funkee squeeze toys immediately. Place the toy in a heavy-duty plastic bag, seal with tape, and send Orb Toys a photo for a refund. If the toy ruptured and sand leaked out, put on masks and gloves and use a damp cloth to clean up the sand.

• Check your home immediately for any of the recalled products. Look for the specific model numbers and date codes listed above — they’re usually on tags or stickers.
• Handle asbestos-containing toys carefully. Don’t shake, squeeze, or play with them. Place them in sealed plastic bags and keep them away from children and pets.
• Document everything. Take photos of the products, your purchase receipts, and any communications with the companies. If your child was exposed to asbestos, you may need this documentation later.
• Contact your pediatrician if your child played with the squeeze toys. While there’s no immediate treatment for asbestos exposure, your doctor should document the exposure in your child’s medical records.
• Report incidents to the CPSC even if your child wasn’t injured. These reports help identify patterns and prevent future recalls.
• Check your purchase history on Amazon, Walmart, and other retailers. You might have bought recalled items and forgotten about them, especially if they were gifts.

Notice the pattern here: Destroy the evidence, send photos, maybe get your money back. No mention of medical monitoring for asbestos exposure. No acknowledgment of the terror parents feel discovering their child has been exposed to carcinogens.

Did your child use the asbestos-contaminated toys in the recall? Tell us about it.

Written by: Companies Behaving Badly

The team behind it all.