Toy recalls take toll

Topeka Capital-Journal, The, Dec 17, 2007 by Julie Buzbee

By Julie Buzbee

SPECIAL TO THE CAPITAL-JOURNAL

Diego isn't going anywhere except back to the factory, and Dora seems doomed after a dismal year in which consumers saw more toy recalls than ever.

Mattel alone recalled more than 10 million Chinese-made toys late this summer.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has conducted 75 toy- related recalls this year in voluntary agreements with manufacturers and retailers. Nearly half of those involved violations of lead paint standards. Lead can cause serious neurological damage to young children. Magnets or other small parts that are considered ingestion or choking hazards prompted most of the other toy-related recalls.

This year's recalls are more than five times what the commission dealt with in 40 toy recalls last year that involved only a few with lead paint violations.

Even though most of the finger-pointing has been toward China, where 80 percent of the world's toys are made, toy experts say recalls have been going on for years and that many toys made in China are safe.

Nevertheless, a like number of consumers - 80 percent - are concerned about toy safety, according to a recent AOL News Poll.

"We have had some people concerned if toys were made in China or not made in China. We understand their concern," said Dennis Elder, manager of The Toy Store, 5300 S.W. 21st. "Sometimes their quality controls are not what they are supposed to be over there."

And although the independent specialty store carries toys made in Germany, Italy, South Africa and Taiwan, Elder said most of his store's toys also are made in China.

The locally owned store hasn't gotten through the recalls unscathed, however, because it does carry the Thomas and Friends line of train toys, Elder said. Employees did have to remove some Thomas items from shelves because of the lead paint hazard.

"It was just a few of the items and some of those we didn't even have at the time," Elder said. "Of course the ones we did, we sent back to the company."

About the Thomas products, Elder said, there has been no incident of a child being harmed by the paint on one of the toys. The safety commission confirms that statement about the Thomas toys.

But many other toys have caused serious injuries to children. In the past few weeks, more than 4 million boxes of Aqua Dots beads have been pulled from shelves after some children who swallowed the beads became comatose, developed respiratory depression or had seizures. Scientists discovered a chemical coating on the beads, that when ingested, metabolized into gamma hydroxy butyrate, or what is called the date rape drug.

The seriousness of the toy problem has created anything but child's play for local charities who are gearing up for their biggest times of year as they hand out thousands of toys to area kids.

Maj. Teri Martsolf, of the Salvation Army in Topeka, said she had a group of volunteers from the College Prep Academy of Topeka check the toys stored from last year.

"We will go through everything in-house and everything through the Angel Tree program," she said.

Martsolf said everything has gone OK so far this year, but that checks will continue to have to be made so that the 4,000 toys expected to be given out this year are safe.

First Sgt. Brandon Hall, coordinator of Toys for Tots for Topeka, said the process of checking toys in his organization also has been ongoing this holiday season.

"We went through all of our toys that were left over from last year," Hall said. "Out of that 2,000 toys, there were three on the recall list. It was cheaper just to destroy them."

Hall said the local Marine Corps Reserve unit gets updates every week and that all the toys are double-checked every week. Workers visit three Web sites and are updated on Toys for Tots Foundation Web sites, he said. With any new recall, a mass mailing is sent out.

Hall said the public has been great about not dumping recalled toys into the program and that the stores are doing their part to help as well.

"Nobody has dropped off any recalled toys to us. Wal-Mart, Target and Toys "R" Us have done a phenomenal job of pulling them off the shelves," he said.

But all the recalled toys aren't off the shelves in Topeka, one day care director said.

"We published a Christmas wish list," said Margaret Lachowsky, director of the YWCA's Early Learning Center. "Two of the rooms asked for a doctor's play kit. One of the parents who brought in toys today said she tried to purchase the doctor's play kit. The store had it but wouldn't sell it to her because the computer wouldn't accept it. The store hadn't pulled them from the shelves."

A Fisher-Price medical kit toy was spotlighted in this month's issue of Consumer Reports. The magazine conducted its own tests on the toy and said the tests revealed high levels of lead in the blood pressure cuff.

The toy hadn't made the recall list on the safety commission's Web site early this week, but store clerks in Wichita told a local newspaper that it had been removed from shelves there due to safety concerns.