Lead Poisoning Attorney in New York Comments on Recall of Thomas & Friends Wooden Railway Toys

New York’s leading lead poisoning attorney Alan Konigsberg comments on RC2 Corporation's nationwide toy recall of various Thomas & Friends Wooden Railway toys and accessories containing high levels of lead paint, which can potentially cause lead poisoning in children.

NEW YORK, New York, June 20, 2007 - In a recall encompassing more than a million and a half toys, the RC2 Corporation has announced that it is removing from stores an array of its Thomas & Friends trains and accessories. The Thomas the Tank engine toys subject to this recall contain high level of lead paint which, if ingested, can neurologically impair a developing child.

Alan J. Konigsberg, a nationally recognized lead poisoning attorney in New York and partner at LPK, stated, “While most lead poisoning liability cases have involved landlords who are responsible for peeling lead paint in their tenants’ homes, the presence of lead-based paint in toys and costume jewelry marketed to children is also a widespread problem.”

According to a posting on a website devoted to this line of products, www.totallythomas.com, more than two dozen items are being recalled. Representatives of the RC2 Corporation have stated that Thomas the Tank engine toys which contain the code “AZ” or “WJ” are exempt from the recall.

“Parents should move any Thomas & Friends toys being recalled away from their children,” Mr. Konigsberg, New York’s leading lead poisoning lawyer, said. “Furthermore, if they suspect that their child might have been lead poisoned, they should promptly seek to get their child tested to determine if their child’s bloodstream contains elevated blood lead levels. Time is of the essence since the effects of lead poisoning are long term and can significantly affect a child’s learning potential and motor coordination well beyond their entry into adulthood.”

For a child, even a small amount of lead-based paint is potentially hazardous, if it begins to peel, chip, or otherwise generate dust. Because no amount of lead is safe in the body, a brief exposure to lead can yield significant adverse effects.

Aside from learning difficulties, elevated levels of lead in the bloodstream are also associated with behavioral problems such as aggressiveness, destructiveness, and hyperactivity. Other lead poisoning symptoms include central nervous system damage, lack of appetite, sleeplessness, delayed reaction times, anemia, and impaired metabolism of Vitamin D.

The Center for Disease Control and the State and City of New York consider a child lead poisoned, if he/she has 10 mg/dl of lead in the bloodstream.

For more information about this or other lead paint related product recalls, please contact Levy Phillips & Konigsberg, LLP, at 212-605-6200 or 1-800-988-8005, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

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