August 3, 2007

Nearly one million Fisher Price toys were recalled due to the possibility of lead poisoning. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced a voluntary recall of Sesame Street, Dora the Explorer, and other children's toys.

The surface paints could contain high levels of lead. Lead is toxic if ingested by young children and can cause adverse health effects.

The recalled involves various figures and toys that were manufactured between April 19, 2007 and July 6, 2007 and were sold alone or as part of sets. The model names and product numbers for the recalled toys, which are all marked with "Fisher-Price," are listed below. The toys may have a date code between 109-7LF and 187-7LF marked on the product or packaging.

Although there have been no injuries reported yet, it's possible that tens of thousands of children could be infected and not showing symptoms yet.

Consumers should immediately take the recalled toys away from children and contact an attorney. If you or your child has been affected, you may recover monetary damages to compensate for medical bills, lost wages and pain and suffering.

Symptoms of Lead Poisoning

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.

Other more specific symptoms of lead 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 lead poisoning can produce symptoms including convulsions,"wrist drop" or external limb paralysis, coma and ultimately death.