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Parents scoured children’s playrooms and retailers scurried toclear their shelves after manufacturers ordered a series of recallsthis summer, saying millions of popular toys may have been made withlead paint. But the risk of lead poisoning is as strong as ever, experts say; it’s just that the biggest threat probably isn’t in the toy box. Children are at greater risk of lead poisoning from living in ahome with deteriorating old paint, or one that is going through are model, than they are from most toys, according to federal tallies.

Lead paint on toys still poses some risk, health officials say. Since the recalls of literally millions and millions of toys sold in the US broke, we’ve found more American-made toys as well as information that often European made toys are excellent alternatives. Often, toys made in Europe have been subject to rigorous safety testing standards. What is apparent with all of these lead-free alternatives is that these are toys that stress imagination and creative play value, and are less branded and more traditional than the typical toys involved in the recalls.

Damage to Children

Leadpoisoning can permanently harm children, but it typically doesn’t happenovernight. The damage is irreversible and can include learning disabilities and brain damage in young children, who absorb lead at a rate five times greater than adults. And while it’s true we are more knowledgeable about lead and its adverse effects on the brain, and have eliminated it from many sources (namely gas and paint), knowing the facts about lead are critical because you don’t want your child exposed to lead. What seemed like a huge toy recall or two has now turned into a weekly occurrence. Parents, schools and day cares can and should take proactive steps to ensure they know their lead facts as lead exposure can be very serious.

Reacting to three separate recalls of Mattel toys found to contain unsafe levels of lead paint, The Walt Disney Company said it would begin its own testing of toys featuring Disney characters, including random testing of products already on store shelves. Executives at Disney made the decision to institute the testing on Thursday and intend to inform Mattel and other toy manufacturers today.

Why use Lead Paint

Why is lead paint or lead, for that matter turning up in so many recalls involving Chinese-made goods? The simplest answer, experts and toy companies in China say, is price. Paint with higher levels of lead often sells for a third of the cost of paint with low levels. So Chinese factory owners, trying to eke out profits in an intensely competitive and poorly regulated market, sometimes cut corners and use the cheaper leaded paint.