Don’t Play With Danger
Lead can harm your child
Some Products for
Children May Have Lead
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New and used toys
Children’s jewelry
Cribs and other baby furniture
Backpacks and lunch boxes
Lead is Dangerous to
Children
• Lead should not be in children’s
products but is still sometimes found
• It can get into a child’s body from normal
behavior, like putting an object or their
hands into their mouth
• Lead can cause brain damage and
harm a child’s body. It can keep them
from growing and developing normally
What Products Could
Have Lead?
• Products made with vinyl and plastic
soft plastic items, like decorated backpacks,
vinyl lunch boxes, diaper bags, toys balls or
toys from vending machines
• Metal pieces on stuffed animals and
dolls
eyes, noses, buttons and zippers
What Products Could
Have Lead?
• Paint on wood, metal, ceramic or
fabric
toys like painted blocks, metal cars and
trucks, ceramic items like tea sets, cribs,
baby furniture, and antique metal toys
• Children’s jewelry
may have lead pieces or solder
it is dangerous if put into the mouth or
swallowed
Lead Can Also be in
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Paint on or inside older houses
Dirt and soil outside
Pottery
Home remedies
Imported candies made with chili
powder or tamarind fruit
How Can You Protect
Your Child?
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Find out what products have lead
Choose safer products
Keep children’s hands clean
Make sure children eat healthy meals
Get your child tested for lead
Find Out About Lead in
Products
• To check babies and children’s
products you have at home, at your
day-care, or sitter’s
Text the words KIDS, or NINOS for a reply in
Spanish, and product name to 30644
you will get a message back from
healthystuff.org, a non-profit that has tested
thousands of products
Other Ways to Check
Products
• Go To www.healthystuff.org for
more info
• Visit or call the Consumer Product
Safety Commission to find out about
recalls
www.cpsc.gov
1-800-638-2772
Be Sure To…
• Check hand-me-downs and gifts
• Throw away toys that:
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are damaged
have cracked or peeling paint
have faded colors or bite marks
are recalled by the Consumer Product
Safety Commission
Also, be Careful with
Jewelry…
• Jewelry can be especially dangerous if
swallowed or put into the mouth
• Avoid purchasing toys or jewelry from
vending machines
• To be completely safe, don’t let children
wear jewelry
Keep Dirt and Dust Away
• Toys may pick up lead dust from
peeling paint in older houses or dirt
outside
– wash or wipe toys with a damp cloth every
few days to clean off dust
– wash children’s hands often and especially
before eating and sleeping
Keep Children Healthy
• A full stomach helps children absorb
less lead
• Children should eat 3 meals a day and
healthy snacks that are high in calcium
and iron
• Wash children’s hands often
• Get your child tested for lead
Choose Safer Toys
• Toys made from wood or cloth that do
not have paint, varnish, metal eyes,
noses, buttons or zippers
Get Your Child Tested
for Lead
• At 1 year old, 2 years old, or if they
have never been tested
• Anytime you think your child may have
been exposed to lead
• A blood lead test is the only way to
know if a child has lead poisoning
Key Points
• Lead can be in new and used
children’s products
• Lead can harm your child
• Look up products you have at home
and before you buy to see if they have
lead
• Avoid products with plastic, vinyl,
chipped paint, metal eyes, noses, or
buttons
Find out Which Products
Have Lead!
• Text the word KIDS, or NINOS for a
reply in Spanish, and product name to
30644
• Go to www.healthystuff.org for more
info
• Call 1-800-638-2772 for product recalls
• Visit the Consumer Product Safety
Commission for recalls of toys and
other products: www.cpsc.gov
Check for Lead using SMS
Texting
• How to use: Text a HealthyStuff.org
keyword (for list of keywords, see
table), followed by the name and/or
brand of a product that you wish to find
to the number 30644.
• You can also refine your search by
providing the year the product was
made (for example “toys 2009 barbie”).
*Lead check may not be available for some product
types at this time.
Keyword Table
Responses
• When you send your text message,
you may receive up to two pages of
results (plus a disclaimer if it is your
first time using the service).
• If your search finds too many products
to fit on two pages, you will receive a
message saying to refine your search.
Responses
• For example, a short text of: Toys Baby
• might reply: TOO MANY RESULTS.
PLEASE REFINE SEARCH USING
YEAR, PRODUCT AND/OR BRAND.
• but a more narrow search, like:
TOYS BABY EINSTEIN BLOCKS
• might generate a response of:
LEVEL OF LEAD DETECTED: 09
DISNEY BABY EINSTEIN STACK
AND DISCOVER BLOCKS NONE (0
PPM)
Don’t Play With Danger
Lead can harm your child