Two of the largest U.S. toy companies, Toys "R" Us Inc. and Mattel Inc., said they will phase out nickel-cadmium batteries, a technology associated with widespread environmental contamination and health problems in China. The move comes as toy makers are scrambling to rid their products of toxins, after a wave of recalls last year triggered panic about the safety of Chinese-made toys. The bans on cadmium batteries are a sign that the toy industry's safety concerns are beginning to extend to workers and citizens in China, where the vast majority of the world's toys are made... [The] batteries have been a target of environmentalists and workers rights groups, because they contain cadmium, a toxic heavy metal that can cause kidney failure, lung cancer and bone disease. Hundreds of factory workers in China have been exposed to unsafe levels of cadmium, and runoff from China's cadmium battery factories has polluted the soil and water. [also refers to Wal-Mart, GP Batteries (part of Gold Peak)]