Mattel Announces a Massive Worldwide Recall of Mattel Toys that May Contain Excessive Levels of Lead Paint

On August 14, 2007, the toy manufacturer Mattel, the parent company of Fisher-Price, extended its previously announced worldwide recall of approximately 1.5 million toys. As with the previous Mattel toys recall, the items being pulled from shelves may contain high levels of lead paint which, if ingested or inhaled, can pose a serious health threat to infants and children. Included in the nine million recalled Mattel toys are Polly Pocket dolls, Batman action figures, “Sarge” toy cars, and Barbie and Tanner play sets. The company also stated that it may be recalling more of these Chinese made toys if it finds that additional items also contain lead paint or tiny magnets that, if swallowed, can be harmful to children.According to government officials, at least nineteen children have required surgery, and one child died after swallowing a magnet that was used in a Polly Pocket doll.

Commenting on Mattel’s latest toys recall, Alan J. Konigsberg,lead poisoning attorney and a senior partner at Levy Phillips & Konigsberg, LLP said that “if toy manufacturers are going to continue to develop their products overseas, in places where questionable materials may be incorporated into the manufacturing process, than they need to test their products before they end up on store shelves. To do otherwise is unacceptable and irresponsible.”
To learn more about the many items included in this Mattel toys recall please click on the following links to visit the website of the Consumer Products and Safety Commission:

Polly Pocket Toy Sets
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml07/07273.html
Batman and One Piece magnetic action figure sets
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml07/07269.html
“Sarge” die cast toy cars
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml07/07270.html
Barbie and Tanner play sets
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml07/07271.html
Doggie Day Care
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml07/07272.html

For a child, even a small amount of lead-based paint is potentially dangerous if chips, peels, or otherwise create dust and has been ingested or inhaled. Children may also be exposed if they chew or suck on a toy that has been coated in lead paint. Because no quantity of lead is safe in the body, a brief exposure to lead can cause significant adverse effects. Besides learning difficulties, elevated levels of lead in the bloodstream are also associated with behavioral problems such as aggressiveness, destructiveness, and hyperactivity.
For more information about this Mattel toys recall and lead poisoning liability, please visit lpklaw.com or contact Alan J. Konigsberg, a leading lead poisoning attorney in New York, at (212) 605-6200 or akonigsberg@lpklaw.com.

About Levy Phillips & Konigsberg, LLP
New Jersey and New York complex litigation attorneys from Levy Phillips and Konigsberg, LLP (http://www.lpklaw.com) are nationally recognized for handling all phases of state and federal complex legal matters, from initial investigation through, litigation, trial and appeals. In addition to a growing commercial litigation practice, the law firm represents individuals and employees with lead poisoning, mass-tort, toxic tort, product liability, personal injury, whistleblower, qui tam, employment discrimination and retaliation claims. With offices in midtown Manhattan, Goshen, New York, and suburban Princeton, New Jersey, Levy Phillips & Konigsberg, LLP's complex litigation attorneys consistently have won landmark decisions enhancing the rights of individual workers and consumers injured by exposure to toxic substances, defective products and negligent behavior, with jury trial damage awards among the highest in the nation.