My kids love playing with Thomas the Tank Engine and his friends. They especially love destroying the train track and watching me rebuild it. Well, I just read that nearly 1.5 million wooden Thomas toys are being recalled because they have lead in their paint.
After that season five incident where the narrator flipped out and referred to Mavis the diesel engine as a "thoughtless little pig" you'd think these people might spend a little more time on quality control.
Brian Alvey
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Thomas the Tank Engine: lead paint recall
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Comments (21)
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Carrie Wood 432 days ago
Sorry to hear that the boys played with that stuff...blech.
Though this is a particularly ridiculous recall, I pretty much consider all corporations suspect when it comes to lead, especially with painted toys, vinyl toys and cheap jewelry (remember the vinyl lunchbox recall?). I highly suggest that all parents subscribe to the CPSC email list for recalls. I get 2-3 emails/week with 2-3 recalls each, more than half of them are for lead hazards, usually on kids stuff. It's really unacceptable for this kind of thing to pass for so long without notice in this day and age.
Here's the link for the recall list sign up page:
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpsclist.asp
Kayla 431 days ago
Omg they should be more careful with kids toys!
Blake Gripling 431 days ago
It's a rather sad story; I mean, those Chinese manufacturers weren't really as strict in product safety as the Americans - the latter shunned lead (aka plumbum, pb) thirty years ago and those Chinese boys still use it? How disgusting...
Tina Duchamp 430 days ago
Hi,
I was really worried about my little boy too - until I found out that the recalled items are not coated with lead paint - but one batch of paint got contaminated with a tiny amount of lead. It seems My boy would have to eat a thousand trains or more to have any bad effect. He loves his trains and I'm going to keep buying them. I think they've done the right thing performing a recall they really didn't have to !
Tina
Bill Hartzer 429 days ago
Thanks for bringing this up--my sons are huge Thomas fans, even caught Thomas live on stage last month (was a blast, you should definitely take the kids!).
I'll be checking all the Thomas-related stuff to see if we have the stuff that they've recalled.
Dave 425 days ago
Tina wrote:
"I was really worried about my little boy too - until I found out that the recalled items are not coated with lead paint - but one batch of paint got contaminated with a tiny amount of lead."
Can you please provide a link or other source for your information? I have not heard anything like this in any media coverage, from the manufacturer, or CPSC.
Please visit my web page for links to other discussions, articles, and general info about the recall and lead poisoning:
http://home.comcast.net/~chem_daddy
Your comment seems to dismiss the serious nature of the risk the affected toys may pose, but I'd really like to independently confirm what you are saying. I really don't think they would have done this recall if as you claim "they really didn't have to".
Kindest regards,
Dave
Gina 425 days ago
Just went to my son's 18 month check up today...I mentioned that he had one of the recalled Thomas trains and my pediatrician immediately wrote me a prescription for a lead test at Children's Hospital!!! He said that he would probably have had to eat ALL of the paint off of his train to need treatment, but, as he said, better safe than sorry! We'll be headed down to Children's in the morning.
M Eguene 425 days ago
Any company which sells and promotes a toy which will be handled by small children has a legal and moral obligation to insure that the toys are safe and will cause no harm under normal use. HIT and RC2 failed to do this. The Manufacture, HIT, and RC2 are all responsible.
Bob in South Carolina 424 days ago
With all of the tainted products, coming from China, would it be overkill to ban the import of all things Chinese until the US, the Chinese government and the Chinese manufacturers get their act together?
Brian 422 days ago
We are sickened by this recall and lead paint issue. Our young son has some developmental delay issues, and has enjoyed (and chewed on) Thomas toys for the last two years. We will be having him tested for lead, and if it comes back positive, the toys will be tested and the lawyer called. The $15 price tag on these little toys led you to believe they were "finely crafted" -- a throwback to an earlier generation. Come to find out they were simple sweat shop junk, likely produced for pennys a piece. We'll if tests come back with lead, Tommy the Lawyer engine will be called, he's a very useful lawyer engine that does important work (laughing with irony - but not happy).
Brian
joe 422 days ago
I agree with Brian. I just rounded up a full grocery bag full of tainted toys that my boys played with since they were old enough to do so. When they were playing with these and putting them in their mouths I regularly though how great it is that's it's the 2000's and I didn't have to worry about the fact they put these into their mouths. I despise China and their shifty business tactics. Their gov't only cares about the yuan. I hope all involved have a class action law suit brought against them. It probably cost less then a dollar to produce these and they charge $15-20. We will be discussing this with our Dr. and if he suggests a test and it comes back positive there will be hell to pay.
Jon 420 days ago
When I first heard of the Thomas recall my wife and I gathered the toys that are lead threats and began to package them up for return to R2C Corp. (the manufacturer) when I noticed my 3 year olds bite marks on a few of the affected toys. I started to think about it and became enraged.Thomas toys are very expensive and R2C Corp (a publicly traded Co.) intentionally sent manufacturing to China to make more money at the expense of safety and quality control. They were not facing competition and forced to move manufacturing to China to save their company they did it out of greed. A class action suit was filed on Friday June 22 and I just spoke to the lawyer. I am joining the suit not because my child may be lead poisoned (we will get his test result back and hopefully he is not) but because this is the way to teach a company that manufactures childrens toys a lesson. By the way, R2c also manufactures toys for John Deere and First Years (including safety items)That is ironic. Do everyone a favor and spread the news.
Anne 418 days ago
My son played with these toys. He's two, and some paint is chipped from him chewing on the toys. I had him tested, and he has lead poisoning. I don't know where the person got their information that claims a child would have to eat a lot of paint off of the trains to be hurt. My son had just a little paint off of a few pieces. Get your kids tested for lead.
Kylie 417 days ago
I am enraged to the point of blind fury. My son also has these trains. Unlike some of the others here though, my son never (to my knowledge)put the toys in his mouth. However, that does not matter since lead paint sheds minute particles (dust) which then gets on the child's hands (which often go straight into the mouth), and is also breathed in.
My son has lead poisoning as does my daughter (since she did not play with them as much, she does not have it as bad, thankfully). I am devastated. I am angry that these supposed "quality" toys were more suited for the city dump than my son's room.
If your kids ever played with these toys, get them tested for lead.
My son is likely permanently impaired so that they could make a few extra bucks by outsourcing to China.
We must do more than sue this company. They are insured against this sort of thing...in fact, they bank on it happening, sooner or later. Suing them will NOT hurt their bottom line. The only way to make a dent in the pocket (as well as their ego) is to boycott. Parents should avoid products (no matter how small or insignificant)from RC2 Corp.
If we are serious about teaching companies a lesson, we must stop supporting them. Period.
Melissa 414 days ago
We have 5 recalled train toys. My 2 sons, ages 3 and a half and 14 months, are being tested for lead poisoning tomorrow. Our older son has developmental delays, receives speech therapy, etc... I am enraged to know his problems, which have caused us so much worry, cost a lot of money, and could affect his future learning and quality of life, may very well have been caused by his love for Thomas the Train toys. Though he hasn't played with them for about 2 months, he used to spend at least an hour every day (for over a year) playing with them, and sleeping with them in his hands or by his pillow. Both our boys have put the trains in their mouths and small sections of paint are missing from them all. If either boy has lead poisoning we will pursue legal action and make a HUGE effort to get the word out to others who have been likewise affected. To Tina who posted about only 1 batch of paint having a tiny bit of lead, what is your source? I saw your identical comment on another blog space and it sounds like your comments could be fabricated and possibly created by the RC2 Corp.
Steven 414 days ago
Jon,
Please provide contact information regarding the class action suit. My 3 boys have been playing with Thomas toys and all have been exposed. Waiting on test results.
r murdock 410 days ago
my son has so many thomas the trains and friends sets. i will be taking him to the doctor to see if he was exposed to lead. please provide information for class action law suit. made in the u.s.a. is the only way to go!!!!!!. i will never buy any more thomas the train sets.
Rae 409 days ago
I will be testing my son for lead, but please remember that where you live could also affect your children's lead levels. My now 14-year-old had elevated lead levels as a toddler and we had never heard of Thomas the Train. We did live in a large city in a house built in the 1960's, so she could have gotten it from the soil (decades of leaded gas car exhaust), the paint in the house, or the plumbing (even after lead pipes were banned, joint solder was still allowed to contain lead for several more years). This recall was very poorly handled and people should be angry about that, and you should definitely get rid of the toys, but if your child has pretty high levels you should also consider other lead sources.
Anne 409 days ago
My youngest who chewed on his trains has lead posoning. My other two children have levels less than 1. That speaks volumes for where the lead came from.
http://www.balestriere.net/People/Balestriere_John.html
That's the website for an attorney that has filed a clas action suit.
lARRY 408 days ago
I don't know if there is enough paint on the wooden toys to cause lead poisoning in a child or not. I would also look at other areas of the house and have them tested as well. I wonder if there is lead in the paint in the houses of the affected children. I also wonder if the dishes used to eat or serve with contain lead. There are inexpensive testing kits at Home Depot that can be purchased. I was shocked to find lead on some dinnerware we've been eating off of for years. Needless to say they were thrown out.
Michelle 408 days ago
Any items marked with WJ or AZ are okay.
You can see the recall poster at http://recalls.rc2.com/recallinfo/RecallPoster_Wood061407...
I have a 6 year old who is obsessed with these trains, a 3 year old who has been playing with them because of her brother, and a 10 month old who has just discovered them. We started purchasing them in 2003. I'm not that concerned. I think the people who have positive tests might have other environmental factors. Plus, don't you remember when we all had lead pencils? Of course, we will be sorting through our trains, but this probably isn't that big of a deal. We spent a lot of time teaching our kids NOT to put them in their mouths.
Rc2 is replacing the trains:
At this time, there have been no reports of illness or injury as a result of this issue.
Consumers should take the recalled toys away from young children immediately and return the affected products to RC2 Corporation for a replacement product. Consumers must include a completed return form, indicating the item(s) being returned. Return product and completed form to:
In the United States:
RC2 Corporation
Attn: Wooden Vehicle Recall
2021 9th Street SE
Dyersville, IA
52040-2316
U.S. Return Form Unable to view this file? See below.
Postage will be reimbursed via separately-mailed check at the estimated U.S. Postal Service Ground rate.