Fisher-Price toys subject to a recall earlier this month included Go Diego Go Mountain Rescue and Birthday Dora. Also included were Big Bird and Elmo characters. About 967,000 of those toys were sold in the United States between May and August.
(Kevin Wolf/Associated Press/File 2007)
Lead paint, magnets are latest concerns
Fisher-Price toys subject to a recall earlier this month included Go Diego Go Mountain Rescue and Birthday Dora. Also included were Big Bird and Elmo characters. About 967,000 of those toys were sold in the United States between May and August.
(Kevin Wolf/Associated Press/File 2007)
Yesterday's recall by Mattel -- this one involving lead paint and small magnets -- was the latest in a series by toy manufacturers, further increasing parents' concerns about their children's safety.
Q. How do I know if my child could be at risk?
A. First, check to see if toys in your home are subject to a recall. The Consumer Product Safety Commission website has a list of press releases about toy recalls at cpsc.gov. From there, click on "Recalls and product safety news," then scroll down to "Product categories" and click on "Toys." Ed Kang, spokesman for the safety commission, said parents should sign up to the agency's free e-mail notification about recalls to stay on top of the news.
Dr. Alan Woolf, the director of the Pediatric Environment Health Center for Children's Hospital Boston, said parents worried about their children being exposed to lead paint should be especially wary of older, antique metal toys. He cited a case in which a girl was exposed to lead because she regularly drank apple juice from a pewter-finished tea set that was a family heirloom. While lead-test kits are available for purchase over the counter, Woolf said they are unreliable. He recommended taking suspected toys to a lead testing agency.
Q. If magnets detach from a toy, what danger do they pose?
A. The magnets that were reportedly falling off of Mattel's recalled toys could be swallowed by a child or lodge in a child's throat. Woolf said that could cause breathing difficulty or even pneumonia.
Dr. Linda Nelson, the director of ambulatory pediatrics at Franciscan Hospital for Children in Brighton, said swallowed magnets could lead to infections later, even if they do not cause immediate problems. If two or more magnets are swallowed, she said, they could stick together in the stomach or intestines, cutting off blood circulation or creating a blockage. Symptoms could include vomiting, loss of appetite, irritability, and abdominal pain.
Q. What are the dangers from exposure to lead paint?
A. Woolf said lead can collect in the bones or the brain over a period of time. Children suffering from chronic exposure to lead can have lower IQs, language difficulties, and trouble focusing. He said research has also shown a relationship between prior lead poisoning in early childhood to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
Suzanne Condon, director of the Bureau of Environmental Health of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, said it's important to note that the effects from lead poisoning are not immediate, but develop over a long period of time.
Q. How do I know if my child is sick from lead poisoning?
A. Woolf said young children suffering from chronic exposure to lead can become irritable, have trouble sleeping, or lose their appetite -- signs that can be hard to distinguish from a 2-year-old's regular pattern of behavior. Those with a high exposure level suffer from abdominal pains and can drift in and out of consciousness.
Condon said a good way to detect a possible problem is to determine if any of your children's toys have been recalled, find out which parts were colored with lead paint, and note if there is any paint missing from that part. Children ingest lead by swallowing the paint.
Q. What do I do with a toy that's been recalled?
A. Typically, companies that initiate recalls provide a phone number to call or a shipping address, and they also include detailed information on their websites. For instance, consumers concerned about the Mattel recall can call 888-597-6597 or 800-916-4498, or visit service.mattel.com. RC2 Corp. of Oak Brook, Ill., reimburses customers' shipping costs for mailing back Thomas & Friends toys that were recalled earlier this summer. It sends customers a lead-safe version of the same toy, along with an additional toy as a good-will gesture.
James Swartz, director of World Against Toys Causing Harm, a Boston advocacy group, said it may be a good idea for parents to hold on to the toy that is being recalled because of lead paint concerns in case doctors want to test it. But he emphasized that the toy needs to be stored out of reach of children.
Se Young Lee can be reached at vlee@globe.com. 
© Copyright 2007 Globe Newspaper Company.
