Now’s not the time for a toy manufacturer to recall products. But Mattel, Inc., the No. 1 retailer for children’s toys in the world, just conducted its third in less than a month. These actions could be a fiscal nightmare, come Christmas.
Mattel’s latest move involves 800,000 units, including 675,000 Barbie doll accessories, because of excessive amounts of lead paint. The Barbie accessories on recall were sold between October 2006 and August 2007. No Barbie dolls were included in the action.
The recall also covers 90,000 units of Mattel's GeoTrax locomotive line and 8,900 Big Big World 6-in-1 Bongo Band toys, both from the company's Fisher-Price brand. The Big Big World products were sold nationwide from July through August, 2007, while the GeoTrax toys were sold from September 2006 through August 2007.
Mattel's last recall, announced Aug. 14, covered 19 million toys. Those Chinese-made products either had excessive amounts of lead paint or contained small magnets that could be swallowed. Details of the recall were negotiated by the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
Mattel CEO Robert Eckert said there may be more recalls as his company investigates production in Chinese factories. "Consequently, several subcontractors are no longer manufacturing Mattel toys."
Estimates by the National Safety Council suggest that 400,000 children younger than 6 still have high levels of lead in their blood. The Mayo Clinic reports the following conditions could arise from elevated lead exposure: nervous system and kidney damage; learning disabilities; speech, language and behavior problems; poor muscle coordination; decreased muscle/bone growth and hearing damage.
Children younger than 6 are especially vulnerable to lead since their brain and central nervous system are developing, according to ABC.com. Low levels of lead exposure in a young child can reduce IQ. Lead poisoning has been linked to juvenile delinquency and criminal behavior. An amount of lead dust equivalent to a single grain of salt will elevate a child's blood lead-level, reports ABC.com.
The Mayo Clinic lists these symptoms of child lead poisoning: irritability; loss of appetite; weight loss; sluggishness; abdominal pain; vomiting; constipation; unusual paleness from anemia and learning difficulties.
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