Urgent Halloween Teeth Recall - Toysrus

[jrstephens]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071031/ap_on_re_us/halloween_recall

Fake teeth recalled for too much lead 1 hour, 56 minutes ago



The government announced an 11th-hour recall Wednesday to warn consumers that fake Halloween teeth sold by the tens of thousands since last year contain excessive amounts of lead.

The $2 packages of "Ugly Teeth" are only the latest in a long line of Chinese-made toys and novelty items recalled because of lead. The Consumer Product Safety Commission announced the recall on Halloween, in a late-morning news release.

The agency estimates that since January 2006, retailers have sold about 43,000 eight-piece packages of the party favors. There were no immediate reports of injuries or illness.

Amscan Inc. of Elmsford, N.Y., imported the fake teeth. A message left with the company was not immediately returned.

The federal agency worked quickly with Amscan to announce the recall, commission spokesman Scott Wolfson. Wolfson refused to say when the commission learned of the potential risk, other than to say it took "a matter of days" to negotiate the recall.

CBS News reported Monday that a chemistry professor at Ohio's Ashland University tipped off the agency about the joke teeth after testing a variety of Halloween-themed items for lead content. Paint on the teeth contained 100 times the allowable level of lead, according to the broadcast report.

Millions of Chinese-made toys have been recalled in recent months. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., this week urged the commission's head, Nancy Nord, to resign.

Pelosi said Nord has failed to see the gravity of the situation and continues to oppose Democratic efforts to double her agency's dollars and give it more authority. Nord said she has no intention of resigning.

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

I recall having teeth.Those were the days.

 

[janetupnorth]

I recall having teeth.

Those were the days.

Back in those days didn't they use lead for fillings????

















...just kidding...bad attempt at a joke...

 

[janetupnorth]

(For any wondering...lead WAS used for fillings back in the 18th century).

 

[Chef Kearns]

My friend thinks the Chinese are purposefully poisoning us.

 

[dannyzmom]

lovely...i gave those out in the goody bags at my son's b'day party

 

[Chef Kearns]

Does anyone know and can post what the signs are of lead poisoning? My 9 year old loves those stupid teeth. We have a million pairs around our house.

 

[Chef Kearns]

Not that I think my son may have lead poisoning, I just want to know.

 

[chefkristin]

lovely...i gave those out in the goody bags at my son's b'day party

Whoops. I guess you need to get on that phone and let the parents know. Then you can ask them if they want to have a PC show. LOL!

 

[janetupnorth]

http://www.ansci.cornell.edu/plants/toxicagents/lead/lead.html

 

[janetupnorth]

Symptoms of Toxicity * The general symptoms of lead poisoning are universal although more informaton is available on poisoning in humans. The first symptoms of lead toxicity are very general and nonspecific. These include nausea, sluggishness, vomiting, painful gastrointestinal irritation, diarrhea, loss of appetite, colic, weakness and dehydration. These symptoms are common to many disorders and can often lead to inaccurate diagnosis.
* Some symptoms more specific to human poisoning include discoloration of the lips and skin attributed mild secondary anemia, a lead line on the gums, developmental disorders, sterility and abortion. There have also been some prelimiunary reports indicating that chronic lead poisoning can also lead to chronic nephritis and premature development of arteriosclerosis.
* More severe cases of poisoning can produce symptoms including convulsions,"wrist drop" or external limb paralysis, coma and ultimately death.

 

[chefkristin]

Does anyone know and can post what the signs are of lead poisoning? My 9 year old loves those stupid teeth. We have a million pairs around our house.

After being ingested, lead enters the bloodstream and is absorbed and stored in many tissues and organs in the body, including the liver, kidneys, brain, teeth and bones.

High levels of lead can cause serious health problems in your children. Lead poisoning can affect almost every organ system of the body, including:

* brain and central nervous system, causing:
o lower IQs
o headaches
o memory problems
o reduced coordination
o learning disabilities
o irritability
o hyperactivity
o increased sleeping
o decreased activity and fatigue
o hearing loss
o vomiting
o slow reflexes
o muscle weakness, affecting mainly the upper extremities
o seizures, coma, hypertension in high levels
* gastrointestinal system, causing:
o constipation
o diarrhea
o abdominal pain
o vomiting
o poor appetite
o weight loss
* blood system, causing anemia or low blood counts
* kidney problems
* reproductive system, causing:
o miscarriages
o premature birth
o low birth weight

If your child has any of these symptoms of lead poisoning and he is at risk for lead exposure then you should see your doctor immediately. Most children with lead poisoning do not have any symptoms, so if your child is at risk you should still have him tested even if he is not having any problems.

Some effects of lead poisoning, such as poor school performance because of a low IQ, do not show up until a child is much older, at which time they will probably have a normal lead level, and so may not be attributed to lead poisoning.

 

[Chef Kearns]

Wow!! Thank you Kristin and Janet. Makes you wonder. Some of those things can be so benign by themselves. When you look at in light of these recalls it really makes you wonder.

 

[janetupnorth]

Wow!! Thank you Kristin and Janet. Makes you wonder. Some of those things can be so benign by themselves. When you look at in light of these recalls it really makes you wonder.

...and remember some of those things are "common symptoms" - can occur with almost anything. Best thing to do if there is a strong suspicious of poisoning, just go get your child tested.

 

[lkprescott]

More lead in other things too... even if they're not painted!http://www.consumersunion.org/pub/core_product_safety/005071.htmlThis is getting nutz! We've stopped giving adult gifts for the winter holidays a few years ago (in lieu they receive our love and presence as gift) but we still buy something for the kids. Will start seeking out better and safer stuff, especially for the wee ones who are still sticking things in their mouth. More info here to finding SAFE toys for our kids:
Tots, toys and toxic paint don't mix | Musings of a crunchy, domestic goddessI've also heard that Europe's standards for safety in their children's toys are great. It's frightening to think and see how much is Made in China and we have no idea what's in this stuff. Short of testing EVERYTHING... it's gonna take some outrage perhaps. It's almost surreal at times... all these recalls. Heck, they even made it the cover cartoon on the latest issue of The Funny Times.

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

I'm going to have teeth made out of chrome.I like hollandaise sauce, and everyone knows, there's no plate like chrome for the hollandaise.

 

[Chef Kearns]

You are in true form TKG!

 

[lkprescott]

I'm going to have teeth made out of chrome.

I like hollandaise sauce, and everyone knows, there's no plate like chrome for the hollandaise.

oh that was awful :yuck: *giggle* painful even!

 

[janetupnorth]

I'm going to have teeth made out of chrome.

I like hollandaise sauce, and everyone knows, there's no plate like chrome for the hollandaise.

Groan....that was so bad but witty.