Mattel is recalling millions of toys because of excessive lead in the paint. If ingested, lead can be a serious health hazard.
Young children are especially vulnerable because their brains and nervous systems are still developing.
Lead exposure can result in learning disabilities, hearing problems and affect growth. High levels can lead to mental retardation, coma, even death.
But pediatrician Dr. Peter Greenspan said, don't panic if your child has put one of the recalled toys in his or her mouth.
"It would be unlikely to cause a problem with a couple of times in the mouth," Dr. Greenspan said. "The problem is lead can accumulate, so the more exposures there are the worse off potentially you are."
As for parents' reaction to yet another recall:
"The more toys recalled, the more chance my child has been exposed through either toys we own or toys that we play with at the playground or friends houses," one concerned parent said.
"Yeah, it's scary but there's lots of dangerous things in the world," said another parent. "Getting into your car is more dangerous than the toys that my son has."
Another part of the recall involves magnets on certain toys. The concern here is that if swallowed they can join together in the body and block a child's intestines.
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