The Clermont County Public Library has issued an immediate recall of bendable toy animals given as one of the prizes in the 2006 Summer Reading Program. Information from the Ohio Department of Health – Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program and the Indiana State Department of Health has indicated the possibility that the toys contain a higher than acceptable level of lead.
The toys, a bendable dog and cat, were found to have .4 and .24 percent of lead. The maximum safety limit is currently .06 percent. The toys are roughly 3.75 inches in length and are similar in shape to a lollipop. The toys are stamped “Made in China” and no other identifying information is available. The toys were given as part of the Summer Reading Program and were recommended as prizes to libraries through a web site run by the Collaborative Summer Library Program.
“When we learned the cat-and-dog bendable toys contained a level of lead above safe limits, we stopped distributing the toys immediately,” Library Director Leslie Massey said. “We are asking families to return the toys to any CCPL branch for safe disposal. The Library will give each child a replacement prize.”
In addition to providing recall information in each branch and on the CCPL website, Library staff members are calling the families of program participants to alert them to the recall.
For more information about the dangers of lead poisoning check the Library’s website at www.clermontlibrary.org. For additional information about the measures that are being taken by the Clermont County Public Library to protect local children, contact Tracey McCullough at (513) 735-7188.