Recall! Lead poisoning!!!

[Gabrielle Proctor]

My store sells ass loads of Thomas the Tank engine stuff. The manufacturers in China had been using lead based red and yellow paint on certain engines.

So RECALL!!! OMG! LEAD POISONING!

We have had some customers come in with printed fliers from the net about the recall ask me about how they can tell if one of their engines have lead paint on them. I tell them how to check the code, and then I tell them the only reason they would have to worry is if their kid put it in their mouth and chewed all the paint off and then swallowed the contents. But if they had a puppy or a dog that chews on things, then they should keep an eye out.

There have been no incidents of lead poisoning yet. I just think it's funny how Learning Curve (company that makes the trains) goes balistic just to please parents..."Send these toys back IMMEDIATELY!!!"

I know there's going to be some asshole with no reason to worry, walking in to blame me for creating an unsafe environment for their kid. Le sigh.

[blas]

"I'm going to sue your store! You sold this toy to purposely try to injure my little Tommy!"

[Gabrielle Proctor]

We had a woman like that. Except her kid hit a carpet guard with his heelies and did a face plant.

She tried to pull that card and we told her she was the one creating the unsafe environment by buying those shoes for her kid.

[SuperDan]

My nephew has a few of those trains. It seems it was only the ones with red paint on them--a handful of trains, a few buildings, and two signs. It was really cute to watch him hold up the paper and say "Mommy they gave me bad trains!"

I'm still dealing with aftermath from the pet food and peanut butter recalls. Will the manufacturers ever get it right the first time? Not that THEY are the ones dealing with the SCs...

[It's me]

I'm still dealing with aftermath from the pet food and peanut butter recalls. Will the manufacturers ever get it right the first time? Not that THEY are the ones dealing with the SCs...

NOT true. I work for a major food manufacturer. Every product has a 1-800 number on it... and everytime there's a food issue in the news we literally get thousands of calls... even if we don't make products similar to the ones being recalled etc.

[simplyanother]

My store sells ass loads of Thomas the Tank engine stuff. The manufacturers in China had been using lead based red and yellow paint on certain engines.

I first learned of the Thomas recall on some of my parenting oriented boards. The mothersARE freaking out. But most of them are peeved about the turnaround time from sending them to the manufacturer and getting the new items. But a few are just ASTONISHED about how lead paint could ever be used.

I have two boys, one is currently in the Thomas stage, and other was there a few years ago, so this means almost all of my Thomas crap pre-dates the recall, so we're golden.

FWIW, a lot of kids who are in the train stage are still quite oral, and still put stuff into their mouths, so getting the paint chips IS a real concern.

I noticed at the store I work at, all of the James trains were removed from the shelves. Oh well.

We have apparently removed all of the magnetix stuff from the shelves too. That stuff is bad if you swallow it. And the kids who were doing that weren't just the little guys like my toddler, but the bigger kids.

Still, if anyone comes to the store about the Thomas crap, I'll have to scream (hardly anyone buys it, because no one realizes we sell it. Me, I would be eating it up, with the 40 percent coupon!).

[Ree]

Why would parents not be concerned about lead based paint on children's toys?

No need to go SC about it, of course, but I am a little miffed at the attitude that, just because a toy company recalls products with lead-based paint on them, they are caving to the hysterics of parents.

The OP may not have meant anything by the way the first post was written, but it was as if there should be more concern for an animal's safety should they chew on the toys, moreso than for a small child who might chew on them.

As was pointed out, small children are just as apt to chew on the toys, so, yes, there is a real concern about safety.

[BookstoreEscapee]

Ironically, just last week I had a bunch of Thomas stuff in my trouble research at work (they weren't stickered with the ISBN which they are supposed to do so we don't have a problem receiving it).

My friend's second baby is due next month and they just moved their 2-year-old into his Thomas-themed room with the big boy bed.

[Jpurple]

To be specific, the Thomas stuff being recalled is anything with red or yellow paint on it, and there is a concern with lead poisoning because a) children chew on things and b) lead poisoning can cause brain damage and/or behavioural and learning difficulties.
That said, you'd be surprised how much stuff sold for kids still has a high percentage of lead in it- especially cheap jewelry. I try not to let my students suck or chew on anything they're wearing, because I have no idea what the content of their little Buddha charms might be.
The moms here don't seem to be overly concerned about it, but a disturbing number of them are completely clueless when it comes to the safety of their children. (don't worry, the rest of them totally make up for it by going the opposite direction and attempting to wrap their children in cotton until they hit puberty)

[tollbaby]

aha! Chris and I wondered why the James section of the Thomas section at Mrs. Tiggy Winkles was empty on Sunday...

Anybody hear about the counterfeit Colgate incident yet? Apparently some company in South Africa produced toothpaste that has some toxic chemicals in it, and they're selling it in Colgate packaging. Poor Colgate is trying to do damage control...

[Andara Bledin]

Yikes. You have to feel sorry for companies that have to do damage control because of counterfeiting.

Colgate's press release
article at Reuters

^-.-^