’06 study found lead in toys

Recent recalls of Chinese-made toys have revived lead-poisoning concerns.

ASHLAND, Ohio (AP) — Neither the government nor the American public raised much of an eyebrow last year when Ashland University researchers reported finding high levels of toxic lead in toy jewelry imported from China.

But the findings got some belated buzz with the recent spate of recalls and safety warnings over imports from China — including hundreds of thousands of toys decorated with lead paint, along with tainted pet food, toothpaste with a potentially poisonous chemical and toxic fish.

“It was decades ago that there were all those [other] lead problems and people think that was solved and there’s no longer any need to worry about it,” said Jill Eppley, 21, of Millersburg, an Ashland University senior who participated in testing children’s jewelry for lead.

Eppley thinks last year’s research at Ashland, similar research in 2005 at the University of North Carolina at Asheville and recalls over the years didn’t make an impression with American consumers willing to let the regulatory bureaucracy take its course.

“I think people think the government is regulating it and there’s no worry for them to even think about it,” Eppley said.

About the research

To teach laboratory skills, researchers Jeffrey D. Weidenhamer and Michael Clement at Ashland University enlisted their students to test inexpensive toy jewelry items for lead. Most were imported from China and 14 of 20 samples had a lead content high above the 0.06 percent considered safe under U.S. regulations. Some tested at 60 percent to 90 percent lead content.

“For most of our students, this [lead risk] is viewed as something in the past,” Weidenhamer said.

Lead, a highly toxic element, can cause severe nerve damage, especially in children.

Last year, a 4-year-old in Minneapolis died from acute lead poisoning after swallowing part of a heart-shaped charm bracelet distributed by Reebok International Ltd. The child’s death was ruled accidental, but Reebok recalled 300,000 of the silver-colored, Chinese-made bracelets found to be 90 percent lead that the company had given away with its shoes.

The boy’s death highlighted the issue and focused attention on lead poisoning risks, according to Steven Patch, a UNC Asheville professor who worked on a similar study published two years ago.

“It takes a while for the ball to get rolling,” according to Patch, who said the death also led to more scrutiny by the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Ashland’s year-old research drew recent attention from The Wall Street Journal and The Chicago Tribune as the import quality issue emerged.

Dangerous levels

About 310,000 U.S. children ages 1 to 5, or less than 2 percent of that population, have blood lead levels that require treatment or other measures, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Most get it from paint chips and dust in old buildings.

The laboratory work at Ashland underscored the risk of lead in toy jewelry.

“I was shocked. I couldn’t believe this jewelry for children could have high levels of lead,” said Jamie Yost, 20, of Waynesburg, Pa., a senior majoring in biology and environmental science.

Weidenhamer said Chinese imports weren’t targeted by his laboratory students, but the cheap prices — some just $1 trinkets purchased at discount outlets such as Big Lots and Dollar General in north-central Ohio — meant many had come from China.

The head of one of China’s quality watchdogs defended its exports Monday, saying some problems were a result of varying global product standards. Beijing has highlighted its own recalls and import bans to show that other countries have quality problems as well, apparently part of its strategy to convince consumers it is taking the issue seriously.

Weidenhamer notified the CPSC about the laboratory findings by his students. The commission said it appreciated Ashland’s findings, but generally did its own testing, he said.

There was no immediate response from the commission. A message seeking comment was left Monday at agency offices in Bethesda, Md.