Rampant toy recalls put safety in shopping forefront
By BRENDA SOMMER bsommer@leader-news.com

With the recent "Made in China" recalls, Christmas toy shopping has become a lot tougher for adults trying to keep children safe from contaminants and other dangers.

Lead hazards posed by toys made in China have prompted a record number of toy recalls in recent months, and consumer groups say some dangerous toys are still on store shelves.

The federal Consumer Product Safety Commission has a list of dangerous toys online that is staggering: As of Friday, 719 toys available in the U.S. had been recalled in the year 2007 alone.

Federal regulators are assuring parents that it's safe to buy toys - if they're careful. The CPSC is urging parents to read product warning labels and sign up for e-mail notification of recalls.

And that caution is what Barbara Duncan, who lives in the Panhandle, was using as she shopped in Wharton County Friday.

"We're being selective in what we pick," Duncan said, as she pushed a shopping cart containing granddaughter Shaylee Vaclavick, age 2, through the toy aisles.

"I've heard the amount of lead in most recalled products isn't really enough to hurt you," Duncan said. "I'm not really worried about it, I'm just aware of it."

Rod Medina also wasn't worried retailers hadn't removed recalled toys from store shelves.

"I haven't even thought about it," he said, while examining a talking doll he was considering purchasing for a grandchild.

Charities across the nation also are operating under the burden of screening donations for recalled toys, overwhelming small volunteer staffs and leading some to stop accepting or distributing toys altogether as Christmas approaches.

But locally, the primary giftgiving charity was on top of the recall issue.

"I had a young lady with a list looking at the ones we already had, to make sure they weren't on the recall list," said Annie Kaspar, manager of The Blessing Cup Storehouse. "If they were, we just threw them in the trash.

"As for the new ones coming in wrapped, I would think that would be the store's responsibility, wouldn't you?"

The CPSC provides information about dangerous and recalled consumer goods and household items, including toys, children's cribs, car seats, smoke detectors, electronics, sporting goods, lawnmowers, gas grills and many others.

For more information, visit www.cpsc.gov or call its consumer hotline at (800) 638-2772/TTY (800) 638-8270. For the complete list of all 719 toy recalls in 2007, visit www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/ prerel/category/toy.html.