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Dora, Elmo, Big Bird, and Other Toys Made in China
A worldwide recall of nearly one million plastic toys made by a Chinese vendor for Fisher-Price was announced today. The toys, sold between April and August of this year, may have paint that contains unsafe amounts of lead, a toxin responsible for many injuries.
Website Lists the Many Toys
Fisher-Price and its parent company Mattel issued a statement to the public warning parents to keep the toys away from children. Kids may put the toys in their mouth and ingest the lead, which can cause a multitude of serious health problems.
A list of the 83 types of toys is available on the website http://www.service.mattel.com. Concerned parents can also call Fisher-Price at (800) 916-4498. Toys based on familiar characters and shows such as Sesame Street, Dora the Explorer, Go Diego, SpongeBob Squarepants, and Elmo are among the recalled items.
Fisher-Price, Mattel Were Industry Models for Safety
This recall is of particular concern because it involves toys made by a Mattel company, and Mattel is highly regarded in the toy industry as having strict safety standards. Mattel and Fisher-Price are moving to quarantine all of the recall toys that have not hit the store shelves, but many toys have already been released to distributors and the public.
Ongoing Problem with Products from China
The U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) has joined the recall effort. No specific lead content information has been released at this point. The Fisher-Price recall follows a June 2007 recall of 1.5 million Thomas the Train toys from another company that were also painted in China with a pigment that may contain excessive amounts of lead.
The seeming barrage of products made or decorated in China that have been recalled in the United States this year due to safety problems is a focus of the CPSC and federal agencies that oversee the safety of products used and consumed in the U.S. Nancy Nord, acting chair of the CPSC, said "Ensuring that Chinese-made toys are safe for U.S. consumers is one of my highest priorities and is the subject of vital talks currently in place between CPSC and the Chinese government."
U.S. Efforts to Improve Toy Safety
In a statement released yesterday, Senator Dick Durbin, D-Ill., called for better safety standards and regulations regarding products that are imported from China. He also recently introduced a Senate bill intended to significantly expand the CPSC's ability to protect American consumers.
(Source: MSNBC online)
Has your child been harmed by lead paint? Discuss your legal options with an attorney experienced in pursuing remedies for lead paint exposure.