"I don't think consumers have seen the end to lead paint recalls," said Julie Vallese, a spokesperson for the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
At issue this time are children's necklaces and additional toys in the Thomas and Friends Wooden Railway product line. That's a total of 601,000 toys and pieces of jewellery identified in this latest recall, amounting to a runaway train fraught with risk when it comes to so many products manufactured in the People's Republic of China.It is ironic that just last week Mattel, in an historic announcement, apologized to the government and the Chinese people for the fallout over recalled Mattel toys made there. Mattel admitted to design flaws, which had nothing to do with Chinese manufacturing standards. The announcement was put forward to lower the heat of consumer discontent over a veritable parade of defective products imported from China over the last several months - everything from poisoned pet food, to tainted toothpaste and toys for tots, and defective tires.
The heat has been turned back up. The reprieve lasted a week.
This time, it's RC2 Corp's "Knights of the Sword" series toys, as well as the aforementioned Thomas and Friends collection. These are joined in the recall by floor puppet theatres, gardening tools and chairs for children.
The recalled toys are thought to contain high levels of lead in their painted surfaces, and the jewellery in question contain excessive lead in painted metal parts.
Current regulations allow for a level of .06 per cent lead to be accessible to users. Levels of lead higher than .06 are subject to recall. Parents are advised to remove these toys for use by their children immediately.
Recalled are:
- 23,500 necklaces, bracelets and pendants imported by TOBY N.Y.C. of New York and sold at T.J. Maxx, Marshalls, A.J. Wright, Cracker Barrel and Shopko stores nationwide from August 2006 through August 2007. Contact: 866-235-0588.
- 850 children's Spinning Wheel Necklace necklaces produced by Rhode Island Novelty of Cumberland, R.I. and sold nationwide from November 2006 through May 2007. Contacts: 800-528-5599 or their [website].
- 350,000 Happy Giddy Gardening Tools and Children's Sunny Patch Chairs imported by Target Corp. of Minneapolis, Minn. and sold nationwide from August 2006 through August 2007. Contacts: 800-440-0680 or their website.
- 200,000 Thomas and Friends Wood Railway Toys and 800 Britain's "Knights of the Sword" series toys, distributed by RC2 Corp., of Oak Brook, Ill. The five recalled Thomas and Friends items, sold nationwide from March 2003 through September 2007, include the all-black cargo car, toad vehicle, olive green Sodor cargo box and all-green maple tree top and signal base accessories. The "Knights of the Sword" recalled toys products include mounted silver knight on a red horse with axe; mounted silver knight on a red horse with two hands on raised weapon; and mounted silver knight on red horse with lance. Products were sold at specialty toy stores nationwide from April 2004 through March 2006. Contacts: 866-725-4407 or their [website]
- 16,000 children's toy rakes imported by Jo-Ann Stores Inc., of Hudson, Ohio. Rakes are 24 inches long with yellow duck head attached to green handle and sold only at Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores from January 2007 from September 2007. Contacts: 888-739-4120, option 7, or their [website]
- 10,000 Floor Puppet Theaters produced by Guidecraft Inc., of Englewood, N.J. Recalled puppet theatres have a chalkboard surface on the front and coloured side panels and sold nationwide in specialty toy stores, gift shops, catalogues and Web sites from June 2006 through August 2007. Contacts: 888-824-1308 or their [website]
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