Fisher Price Toys Being Recalled Because Of Lead Poisoning

The toys and other products that were alleged to have the lead-based paint had been made in China and were being sold by Mattel to families here in the United States. The company will now pay over two millions dollars in fines for knowingly selling the dangerous toys.

In order to qualify as dangerous and/or hazardous to one’s health, paint must be comprised, by weight, of more than .06 percent lead. Anything less than that has been shown to be reasonably safe for both children and adults. Paint comprised of more than .06 percent lead, however, is illegal for use in and on toys and other products created for children. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) determined that in 2007, over twenty-five toy models imported from China by Mattel and Fisher Price contained dangerously high levels of lead in the paint. All of these models were recalled immediately by the CPSC when it was discovered that they were dangerous for children. The actual number of toys imported by Mattel that were found to have excessive lead levels in the paint reached nearly one million. For Fisher Price, the number was closer to 1.2 million toys that had to be recalled.

Toys, as well as a variety of other products, made in China have come under heavy criticism by parents and many other consumers as a result of this incident. Mattel has also been heavily criticized for purposely allowing such products to be sold to unknowing and unsuspecting families. The effects of lead poisoning are severe and extensive, especially in children. Lead poisoning can alter brain development, stunt growth, impair the nervous system, cause convulsions, create learning disabilities that did not previously exist, and even disrupt a child’s ability to speak. Pregnant women who are subject to lead poisoning are also much more likely to have children with cerebral palsy.

Handling lead, products made of lead, or even products decorated with lead-based paints can result in severe lead poisoning and all of the effects listed previously, among many others not mentioned here. If you incurred lead poisoning from products made using illegal, hazardous levels of lea, you should see a Los Angeles personal injury attorney immediately. Unless the manufacturers of these products are recognized and charged for these crimes, toys and other products made overseas may continue to arrive here in the United States containing destructive levels of lead. Without the help of a personal injury attorney, you may not be able to legally stand on your own two feet against large companies such as Mattel, Fisher Price, and others. A knowledgeable, experienced Los Angeles defective products lawyer who has experience with product liability cases will be your best resource during a court case dealing with lead poisoning incurred from unknowingly handling lead-tainted products.