Recalls continue to make news; Nixon urges caution in buying products for children

Recalls continue to make headlines, with the list of toys and children's items recalled due to lead content constantly growing.

In June, certain Thomas the Tank Engine toys were recalled. Just yesterday, Mattel recalled 800,000 toys distributed around the world due to lead paint -- the third such recall since Aug. 1, this one includes certain Barbie accessories; 90,000 units of Mattel's GeoTrax locomotive line and about 8,900 Big Big World 6-in-1 Bongo Band toys, both from the company's Fisher-Price brand. The Big Big World products were sold nationwide from July through August of this year, while the GeoTrax toys were sold from September 2006 through August of this year.

An Aug. 14 recall covered about 19 million toys worldwide. They included Chinese-made toys that either had excessive amounts of lead paint or had small magnets that could easily be swallowed by children.

On Aug. 1, Mattel's Fisher-Price division said it was recalling 1.5 million preschool toys featuring characters such as Dora the Explorer, Big Bird and Elmo because of lead paint. That action included 967,000 toys sold in the United States between May and August.

The Vernon County Health Department told the Daily Mail in June, in conjunction with the Thomas the Tank Engine recall, that lead is toxic if ingested or inhaled by young children and can interfere with a child's growth, cause hearing loss and result in behavioral problems. Ingesting the substance can damage the brain and nervous system, especially in those whose brains and nervous systems are still developing.

Young children are at high risk for lead poisoning, because they often tend to put everything in their mouths, and paint chips laced with lead have a sweet taste.

The Vernon County Health Department offers the following tips to lower the risk of lead poisoning.

* Frequent handwashing

* Keep your home clean -- especially was all toys, bottles and pacifiers. Clean bare floors and windowsills. A HEPA vacuum should be used to clean carpets and rugs.

* Make good food choices. Eating small, frequent meals high in calcium, iron and vitamin C can help keep the child's body from absorbing lead.

Parents can also have their children tested for lead poisoning at the health department.

There are other everyday items that contain lead.

For instance, homes built before 1978 may have lead in the paint. Homes built before 1988 usually had lead solder in the plumbing, which led to contamination of the water. Baby cribs and changing tables that have been painted, dust from imported miniblinds, lead fishing weights, and some poorly glazed pottery used to bake or store foods could also contain lead.

Now the Missouri Attorney General's Office is calling attention to yet another recall, and has issued a warning, saying that parents should be aware of a recent recall of a paint and crayon set sold by Toys "R" Us, called the Imaginarium Wooden Coloring Case.

According to a press release from the Missouri Attorney General's Office, company officials say lead was used in the ink on the carrying case, as well as in the paints included in the product.

Nixon says consumers who own the Imaginarium should return it to any Toys"R" Us location for store credit.

"We have seen several products from China, particularly toys, that have been recalled this summer because of problems with lead paint. I urge parents to use my Web site and other resources to be alert for products that may prove to be hazardous," Nixon said.

The press release also said that consumers have purchased more than 27,000 of the Imaginariums, which contain crayons, colored pencils, paints, a ruler and a pencil sharpener, at a retail cost of about $20.

For more information on this and other recent recalls, visit the Missouri Attorney General's online recall clearinghouse, accessed through www.ago.mo.gov. The resource contains information on items recalled by several different federal agencies, including toys, medicine, cars, food and other categories.

The site has received nearly 9,000 visitors since its launch in mid-August.