“Nothing is more important than the health and safety of our children,” said Washington State Governor Christine Gregoire, according to The News Tribune, before signing the bill.

The Children’s Safe Product Act bans products with high levels of lead, cadmium and phthalates. A high concentration of some chemicals and substances used in toys can lead to diseases and brain damage. This could also cause cancer and birth defects.

The new bill places the most severe restrictions in the United States on the amount of lead and cadmium in children products, the Wall Street Journal reports in its online edition.

The bill reduces the allowable level of lead in toys to 90 parts per million, far bellow the current federal standard of 600 parts per million, the newspaper mentioned above reported.

The toys have to be tested in special units and toy makers are required to notify government regulators in the state if their toys contain chemicals “of high concern.” The State Department of Ecology will draw up a list with these chemicals so-called “of high concern.” The list is expected to contain the names of about 50 substances and it is supposed to be released by January 2010.

Advocates say that the law will protect children from unwanted effects of chemicals. The law also has some opponents; toy makers say Christmas will be ruined by banning too many toys.

“I think the governor’s remarks today regarding how she intends to fix the legislation through rulemaking and an advisory committee really points out how bad of a bill this is for the citizens and businesses of the state,” said Grant Nelson, governmental affairs director for the Association of Washington Business, which opposed the bill, according to  The News Tribune.