Lead Poisoning

The Effects of Children Exposed to Lead from Toys Made in China

Lead poisoning has been most commonly mentioned in past references when referring to lead paint in homes built before 1978, lead pipes contaminating drinking water, and lead deposits in the soil caused by Tetraethyl lead (PbEt₄) due to past lead gasoline emissions. I chose the topic of lead poisoning and its effects on children caused by toys made in China because it is a relevant topic in the news and it is related to the topics of lead in gasoline and water that we discussed in class. Recently the topic of lead poisoning has become a major issue for parents of small children because it is one that is hidden in their children's toys. Besides just protecting their children from the lead that may already be in their home, as well as the lead hidden in those mud pies that their children may be eating outside in the dirt, parents must now also be wary of the toys made by Mattel and Fisher-Price; more specifically the toys made in China.

By August of 2007, Mattel had recalled 967,000 toys due to the products being covered in lead paint (Story). Although Mattel had stopped two-thirds of the tainted toys from reaching the stores where they would have been sold, according to the New York Times, more than 300,000 of these toys were sold in the U.S. These include the popular Elmo, Dora the Explorer, and Sesame Street characters, just to name a few. With the growing number of Chinese-made toys on the recall list, many parents are growing worried about the safety of toys made in China. One new mom, Catherine McNeil, who was mentioned in a story by ABC News, stated how frightening it is to be a mom. "You don't want to overact and say, 'No toys for you,' but on the other hand, it's my baby and it's his first birthday and these are his first presents" (Friedman). Like many scared parents McNeil said that she does not trust any toys from China, and she has to be a lot pickier with toys; whether they have been officially recalled or not.