By
Melody Hanatani Daily Press Staff Writer
CITYWIDE Concerned whether any of her 17-month-old son’s toys contained lead paint, Erin Buckhantz decided to play detective.
The Venice resident headed to the local hardware store and purchased a lead testing kit for $6.50. Though her son’s inventory of toys were not among the 19 million toys recalled recently by Mattel for lead paint and loose magnets, Buckhantz decided there was no point in taking risks.
The mom lined up a a few of the toys she considered to be suspect, slathering them with some solution. After about 30 seconds, if the solution turned pink or red, the paint contained lead.
The results were negative.
“It’s so easy to do,” Buckhantz said on Monday. “It made me feel a lot better about the toys I was concerned about.”
One of the biggest toymakers in the world put parents on edge when it began recalling some of its most popular lines of toys two weeks ago, starting with an announcement on Aug. 2 that it was instructing retailers to pull Fisher Price’s Sesame Street and Dora the Explorer products.
Since then, the company has come out with a slew of announcements recalling Barbie dolls, Batman action figures and Polly Pocket toys for risks associated with lead paint and magnets that could come loose and be swallowed by children.
There have been no reports of injury.
The affected products, which includes the Disney movie “Cars” series, were all made in China, as are approximately 60 percent of Mattel products.
“We are unique in the toy industry in that we have operations in other countries, like Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Mexico,” Mattel spokeswoman Jules Andres said on Monday. About 80 percent of the world’s toys are produced in China, she said.
The recall has made parents more cautious about what’s in and on their children’s toys. Retailers in Santa Monica like the Third Street Promenade’s Puzzle Zoo and Montana Avenue’s JennyBec’s are reporting that many customers have asked more questions about the store’s merchandise, even if they didn’t carry any of the affected toys.
“Most customers ask if anything is affected by the recall,” said Jenny Mullennix, owner of JennyBec’s on Montana Avenue. “We try to use smaller manufacturers who don’t have outsourcing to China.”
JennyBec’s does carry several Mattel brand toys but none that were affected by the recall.
The questions extend to doctors.
The pediatric division at Santa Monica-UCLA Medical Center and Orthopedic Hospital has received many questions from parents about lead poisoning. Dr. Dennis Wood, the chief of pediatrics, has conducted several lead poisoning tests following the recall but none of the results have come back positive.
There aren’t too many signs of lead poisoning unless there has been a high amount of exposure to the child, Woo said.
“What you worry about is developing neurological issues,” he said. “In low levels of intoxication, you don’t see anything clinically.”
Following Mattel’s announcement, Alexa Stone checked through her 14-month-old son’s stock of toys to see if any were included in the recall. They were not.
Since her son Mackenzie is at the age where he likes stuffing objects in his mouth, Stone said she is especially cautious to be sure his toys don’t contain small parts that could come loose.
Stone is the vice president in charge of membership for the Moms Club of Santa Monica South, a support group for local mothers.
“(The recall) made me a bit concerned of what other things could be lurking out there that we just don’t consider as parents,” Stone said on Monday. “I want to know who is supposed to protect us. Do I need to get a biology degree to make sure the household is safe for kids.”
Mattel officials are currently conducting an investigation of the product lines and there is still a possibility that more toys will be recalled.
“If we find anything that does not meet our high standards, we will voluntarily recall — and we will do it quickly and communicate openly with parents,” Andres said. “We believe that is in the best interest of consumers.”
melodyh@smdp.com