Many of the toys tested over the weekend contained lead levels far beyond safe levels. A red plastic roof piece from a Lincoln Logs set tested at 1488 parts per million for lead (or 37 times the AAP standard). A small plastic Fisher Price Sesame Street Bert figure tested at 5346 ppm (or 133 times the standard). A Tinkerbell pink rolling backpack tested at 533 ppm for lead, while a Cinderella princess backpack tested at 474 ppm. A Winnie the Pooh placemat contained 985 ppm.
The highest lead level was found was in a Fisher Price Flip Track crane from a plastic train set that was owned by Burner’s own 5 year-old son, which tested at 10,600 ppm, or 265 times the AAP standard.
During the two days of testing, some important patterns came to light. All of the children’s character placemats tested contained high levels of lead or cadmium; Dora, Spiderman and Winnie the Pooh all tested positive. Cooler-style lunchboxes and soft coolers tended to have high lead content as well. Parents may want to consider keeping such items in their own homes away from their children.
Overall, the campaign conducted 798 tests on 479 toys and children’s items that were brought in for testing from across the district. 56 items tested positive for lead, and of those 47 items – 10 percent of the total – contained excessive lead levels above the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended maximum of 40 parts per million. Nine items tested positive for cadmium, another toxic element.