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The ins and outs of the toy recall

BY LAURA ALBANESE | .laura.albanese@newsday.com

Q&A

What does the recall cover and when did it start?

The bulk of the recalls occurred Aug. 14 and cover about 9.5 million toys from manufacturers Mattel and Fisher-Price, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. They include:

7.3 million Polly Pocket! sets.

1 million Doggy Day Care magnetic toys.

683,000 Barbie and Tanner sets.

About 253,000 "Sarge" Die Cast Toy Cars from the movie "Cars."

345,000 Batman and One Piece Magnetic Action Figure Sets.

On Aug. 2, Fisher-Price also recalled 967,000 character toys, like Elmo and Dora action figures, for lead paint, while in June, the RC2 Corp., pulled 1.5 million wooden railroad toys and set parts from its Thomas & Friends Wooden Railway product line for the same reason. Additionally, in November, Mattel recalled 2.4 million Polly Pocket! play sets after three children were hospitalized for swallowing the magnets.

For a complete list, go to cpsc.gov. Consumers also can call Fisher-Price at 800-916-4498 or go to service.mattel.com.

What are the effects of lead paint?

It can cause a host of health problems, especially when ingested by small children, according to the National Safety Council. They can include learning disabilities, attention deficit disorders, behavioral problems, stunted growth, impaired hearing and kidney damage. At high levels of exposure, a child may become mentally retarded, fall into a coma and even die.

How does the state action differ from the federal recall?

In effect, both the state and federal recall accomplish the same thing - getting the toys off the shelves, said Consumer Product Safety Commission spokesman Ed Bang. Once the manufacturers and the safety commission announce the recall, the toys should be removed from stores immediately, Kang said. The state action will increase the number of officials looking for the toys and will try to increase penalties for stores that do not comply.

What's China's role in the recall?

All the toys came from Chinese manufacturers, Kang said.

Why are the recalled toys still on the shelves?

Manufacturers and distributors work to get the toys off the shelves but the Consumer Product Safety Commission is only 400 people strong.

Do the toy stores know which toys are being recalled?

They should, Kang said. Once the manufacturer learns of the health hazards, the first steps are to contact the product safety commission with the recall and to tell its distributors to pull the toys.