Playskool Develops Germ-Busting Highchair: Playskool Inc. believes...

Playskool Develops Germ-Busting Highchair: Playskool Inc. believes it has built a better highchair--one that kills germs on the tray. The antibacterial agents are permanently locked into the plastic tray on the Playskool 1-2-3 highchair, said the toy maker and the company that supplies the antibacterial plastics process. Playskool, a division of Hasbro Inc., said the trays can help halt the spread of disease-causing bacteria such as E. coli, staph, strep and salmonella. “You can wash off food with a sponge, but there’s always the invisible part,” said Ted Bretschger, Hasbro’s vice president of juvenile products. Some hospitals already use Microban Products Co.’s antibacterial plastics process in their surgical drapes, mattresses and pillow covers. Microban contacted Hasbro last year to form an alliance. If the anti-germ chair proves popular in test markets, it could be sold nationwide by the end of summer, priced at about $80. But one family physician questioned the idea. “I don’t know of any study that shows children are getting sick from their highchairs,” said Dr. David Carter of Pawtucket, R.I.