Why not? We don't HAVE to use paints with lead, or make cheap jewelry with lead, or run cars with leaded gasoline. There are alternatives, and the consequences of lead exposure are devastating. Plus, it's not just toys that are involved. Back when we used leaded gasoline, we contaminated the soil enough that worried parents are still advised by the EPA to provide their children with sandboxes so they don't play in dirt. And we phased out leaded gasoline three decades ago! Lead paint in homes is still the single biggest source of exposure for both children and adults. And lead in the paint on children's toys or cheap jewelry is just adding insult to injury.

The government has banned all sorts of nasty stuff; why NOT lead?