Hot Topic: Lead Recalls and Toys
With so many recent toy recalls due to lead-based paint and materials, many parents may be eyeing their children's toybox with anxiety. Is lead poisoning a real threat? What can you do to help protect your children? We hope to provide some answers.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services continues to describe childhood lead poisoning as "the most important environmental health risk for young children." Lead is a strong poison that targets the body’s nervous system. It is absorbed in a manner similar to calcium, (mainly through the intestine) with accumulation in soft tissues and bone over time resulting in many different health effects. Young children under the age of six are especially vulnerable to lead's harmful health effects, because their brains and central nervous system are still being formed. Even very low levels of exposure can result in reduced IQ, learning disabilities, attention deficit disorders, behavioral problems, stunted growth, impaired hearing, and kidney damage. At high levels of exposure, a child may become mentally retarded, fall into a coma, and even die from lead poisoning. Lead poisoning has also been associated with juvenile delinquency and criminal behavior.
While a child’s intestine may absorb over 50 percent of a dose of lead, an adult’s intestine will only absorb about 10 percent. Lead poisoning in adults can increase blood pressure and cause fertility problems, nerve disorders, muscle and joint pain, irritability, and memory or concentration problems, although it takes a significantly greater level of exposure to lead for adults than it does for kids to sustain adverse health effects. Most adults who get lead poisoning get exposed to lead at work and if they don’t remove and wash contaminated clothing, tools, and skin at their worksite, they can potentially bring it home to their family.
When a pregnant woman has an elevated blood lead level, that lead can easily be transferred to the fetus, since lead crosses the placenta. In fact, pregnancy itself can cause lead to be released from the bone, where lead is stored—often for decades—after it first enters the blood stream. Once lead is released from the mother's bones, it re-enters the blood stream and can end up in the fetus. In other words, if a woman had been exposed to enough lead as a child for some of it to be stored in her bones, the mere fact of pregnancy can trigger the release of that lead and can cause the fetus to be exposed. In such cases, the baby is born with an elevated blood lead level.
Recent research published in the New England Journal of Medicine provides new evidence that there could well be very harmful effects occurring at lower levels of exposure than 10 micrograms ( per deciliter of blood) which has been the generally accepted level for when adverse health effects occurred. In other words, science is now telling us that there is no level of lead exposure that can be considered safe.
So although lead poisoning remains a problem among all age groups, children are especially vulnerable, which makes the recent discoveries of lead in toys even more alarming. And while handling and mouthing a new toy may not constitute a high risk for every child, the only way to know for sure is to check the child’s blood lead level.
A very important point to know is that a child who gets enough iron, calcium, and vitamin C in their diet will absorb less lead. Foods rich in iron include eggs, lean red meat, and beans. Dairy products, such as milk, yogurt, and cheese, are high in calcium. And fresh citrus fruits, such as oranges and strawberries, are a great source of vitamin C. It’s also extremely important to wash your child’s hands frequently. Not only can this eliminate lead particles but it can reduce other bacterial and viral infections.
If you have any reason to suspect that your child has been exposed to a toy containing lead, remove the toy immediately and check http://www.cpsc.gov for photos and descriptions of recalled toys. Most children with elevated blood lead levels have no obvious symptoms, so the only way to tell is to have a blood lead test. Testing for lead poisoning in children may be done at your pediatrician’s office or at your local health department. Please call for appointments and watch for additional testing options.
If lead is found in a child's blood, treatment options vary, from boosting a child's nutrition to help remove the lead from the body naturally to using a medication that binds to the metal in the blood to help the body clear it faster.
The American market accounts for nearly a third of the estimated $100 billion a year the world spends on toys and video games. And while most of the world's largest toy companies are American, 80 percent of the toys they sell are manufactured in China.
Listed below are companies and their products that have been recently recalled due to the presence of elevated levels of lead in the paint.
1. TOBY N.Y.C - recalled “Toby & Me” jewelry sets that include a necklace, bracelet, earrings and a ring. The sets sold from August 2006 until May 2007 for about $8 at T.J. Maxx, Marshalls, and A.J.Wright, and were packaged in pink gift boxes with “TOBY & ME” printed on the front. For a picture of the set or additional information, go to: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml07/07280.html
2. Buy-Rite Designs Inc. of Freehold, N.J., recalled children's Divine Inspiration charm bracelets that have silver-colored charms (angels, crosses and hearts) and clear and pink beads that hang from a silver-colored chain. The bracelets sold for $1 at Dollar stores and other retail stores from March 2004 until this August. Buy-Rite’s website is :http://www.buyriteinc.com/
3. Schylling Associates recalled Thomas and Friends, Curious George and Other Spinning Tops and Tin Pails because of lead in yellow and red paint used on these toys. The tops and pails sold from $6 to $13 between July 2001 – July 2002. For this and other information go to http://www.schylling.com/
4. Martin Designs Inc. recalled SpongeBob SquarePants(tm) Character Address Books with the following product numbers: UPC 80773002260, SpongeBob SquarePants™ Journal; UPC 80773075501, SpongeBob SquarePants™ Journal; UPC 80773007505, SpongeBob SquarePants™ Address Book. For additional information go to: http://www.martindesigns-ltd.com/safety.shtml
5. Mattel's Fisher-Price Division - Pre-school toys from Mattel’s Fisher-Price Division that include Dora the Explorer, Big Bird, Elmo, Sesame Street and Giggler Gabber. Toys may have a date code between 109-7LF and 187-7LF marked on the product or packaging. Manufactured in China, these toys were sold at retail stores nationwide from May to August 2007 for between $5 and $40. For a complete listing of recalled Fisher-Price toys, go to http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2007/08/fisherprice_recall.html
6. Mattel Inc. – “Sarge” toy cars were sold in retail stores nationwide from May 2007 through August 2007 for $7 and $20 (depending on whether they were sold individually or in sets). The toys were manufactured in China and additional information may be found at www.service.mattel.com
7. Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores - recall of Robbie Ducky(tm) Garden Collection Duck Watering Cans sold exclusively at Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores throughout the US. The can is yellow with an orange beak and is about 10 inches high by 6 inches wide. It was sold from February through August of 2007 for about $10. Go to http://www.parentdish.com/2007/08/28/product-recall-jo-ann-fabrics-childrens-watering-cans/ for additional information.
For recalls of other toys go to http://www.cpsc.gov/
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