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Recall: Thomas the Tank Engine - lead poisoning hazard

post #1 of 34
6/13/07 at 6:24pm
Thread Starter 
These recall just came across the "wire":

http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml07/07212.html

http://rc2corp.com/company/recallinf...Wood061407.pdf

I'm really peeved as DS just got a Thomas the Train wooden railway set for his birthday last weekend and it contains some of these pieces.

Why can't these companies CHECK to see that the paint doesn't include lead and WHY is it not ILLEGAL to sell anything to children containing lead? We shouldn't have to rely on parents seeing recall statements to protect kids.

Sheesh.

xposted in TAO

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post #2 of 34
6/13/07 at 6:47pm


We have the red James and matching coal car! :
post #3 of 34
6/13/07 at 8:04pm


I'm going to have to have dd tested for lead!!! She TEETHED on those trains and I figured it was OK since they were 'quality' toys.

Grr... we've got (dh's relatives have decided to 'collect' Thomas for us). Holy Cow!!

Red James Engine & Red James’ # 5 Coal Tender
Red Lights & Sounds James Engine & Red James’ #5 Lights & Sounds Coal Tender
Red Musical Caboose
Red Sodor Line Caboose
Red Fire Brigade Truck
Red Fire Brigade Train
Red Stop Sign
Yellow Railroad Crossing Sign
Yellow “Sodor Cargo Company” Cargo Piece
post #4 of 34
6/13/07 at 8:16pm
how do you know if what you have is being recalled?? on the signs mine says 2001 but i know it must be later then that because it was bought at xmas
post #5 of 34
6/13/07 at 8:30pm
Well, thankfully none of our trains are on the list, but thanks for the heads up!
post #6 of 34
6/13/07 at 8:57pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by littlemizflava View Post
how do you know if what you have is being recalled?? on the signs mine says 2001 but i know it must be later then that because it was bought at xmas
The 2001 on the sign is just a copywrite date, if you have the same sign I have. There is a code on some of my trains and no codes on others. The recall said certain codes were not part of the recall. So if I have no code (like on the sign) I am sending the item to them. I have 4 of the trains, James & coal car and the two signs. A bit upset about this. My 23 month old likes to chew on the cars. Well we are scheduled to have the lead blood test this month.......... :
post #7 of 34
6/13/07 at 9:41pm
Thread Starter 
ing to keep this up on the front page of TAO for a little while.

ETA - d'oh bumped the wrong thread! Not that it hurts.
post #8 of 34
6/13/07 at 11:10pm
The second link is not working for me.
We have quite a bit of the stuff on the first link, yikes!
Some of it was bought before 2005 but I can't remember which ones.:
post #9 of 34
6/14/07 at 1:07am
This is freaking me out. My ds has alot of those items. Are they going to reimburse me for shipping? I really CANNOT believe they would put lead-containing paint on childrens toys! This is just totally f-ed up. On top of it all, my ds' trains are SO CHIPPED from use. He plays with them every single day at close range.

On a positive note, my ds will be thrilled to be getting a box full of new Thomas stuff in the mail!
post #10 of 34
6/14/07 at 1:23am
I'm sooooo glad you posted this - we have a bunch of those trains and so do many of my friends.

All I can think about is how many times I've seen them in the mouth of my 2 year old. Ugh... makes me sick to my stomach & mad.
post #11 of 34
6/14/07 at 1:36am
How annoying!! And criminal!!! We have a few of these....I'm pretty sure my children haven't teethed on them but children who have visited us probably have.
post #12 of 34
6/14/07 at 1:53am
Quote:
Originally Posted by RiverSky View Post
How annoying!! And criminal!!!
Totally! WHY on earth would a company manufacture children's toys using lead paint?? I smell a class-action lawsuit coming on.
post #13 of 34
6/14/07 at 3:36am
Thank you so much for posting this.

I feel ill right now -- we have 6 of these pieces, including the stop sign, which has teeth marks scratched into the bottom (so it was obviously mouthed). : :
post #14 of 34
6/14/07 at 3:39am
Anyone know if the Thomas items are linked to Brio since they are touted as interchangable and often sold together? Are they made by the same company? Wondering if Brio would be next, since that is what we have rather than Thomas.
post #15 of 34
6/14/07 at 3:31pm
So, if they have no codes, is there any way you can tell?

Dh's godmother has been sending us Thomas stuff since he our son was 1 - so for 5 years. I have a pretty good idea of what we got last Christmas, but I have NO idea how old our James engines, etc. are.

Brio and Thomas are NOT the same company. They are 'compatible' because they are the same width. That's all.
post #16 of 34
6/14/07 at 5:28pm
Does anyone know if the the lead test kits will work to determine if there is lead paint on one of the Thomas trains?
post #17 of 34
6/15/07 at 12:01am
Quote:
Originally Posted by ajsgirl View Post
Are they going to reimburse me for shipping?
It says at the bottom of the company's web page:
"Postage will be reimbursed via separately-mailed check at the estimated U.S. Postal Service Ground rate."

http://recalls.rc2.com/recalls_Wood_0607.html

: I know we at least have the two signs. Debating whether I'm going in to DD's room right now with a flashlight to hunt around on the floor, or just wait until morning. I'm grateful we didn't have them until this past Xmas because DD was a huge "mouther" when she was younger, and even still is to an extent at 3.5, although I've never seen her with these in/near her mouth (not to say it hasn't happened, of course.) I go out of my way to avoid as many plastic toys as possible due to possible health effects related to chemicals; we knew the Thomas stuff was a "mainstream" toy/company, but figured we were okay because it was wooden. We try to buy as many "natural" toys as possible, but have relaxed things a bit as DD's gotten older. Of course, DS is just a baby and we have to start worrying soon about toy-sharing, so I guess we're going to be doing a mass culling of our toys now .... :
post #18 of 34
6/15/07 at 1:25am
Thomas trains are made in China, as are virtually all of the toys that have been recalled for lead in the last several years (and there have been quite a few, as can be seen from the CPSC recall list : ).

Our family already avoids buying toys from China for human rights reasons, but even if we didn't, we'd be very concerned about their poor track record for quality and safety. For instance, we were given a Radio Flyer Walker Wagon (a "Classic All-American Toy," now made in China ), which was later recalled because the "clicker" was a choking hazard -- and we had repeated problems with the nuts working loose on the handle and wheels. I've never heard of anything like that happening when the wagons were made in the USA. Not to mention that, with all the counterfeiting that goes on in the Chinese business world (e.g. see the recent NY Times article, When Fakery Turns Fatal), it seems as if even the best-intentioned companies can't be sure that their materials are what they're supposed to be.

Back to the subject of trains... as LynnS6 said, Brio is completely separate from Learning Curve, the company that makes Thomas trains. However, Brio's trains are also made in China. They used to be made in Sweden, and were designed in a very simple style, without a lot of bells and whistles. When they moved production to China, they started making their trains fancier -- I guess to compete with Thomas. Personally, I like the old style better, as it seems more geared toward creativity and "open-ended" play.

TC Timber trains -- the original wooden trains -- were invented in the USA in the 1930's, and were made in upstate New York for many years. Their trains are now made in Germany, by HABA. HABA has a long history of making high-quality, safe toys, so these are the trains we'd choose if we were shopping for a complete set. They're compatible with the other systems, with the usual caveats about bridge height, etc. (FYI, Maukilo.com has a 40% off sale on TC Timber at the moment.)

There are also some small "made in USA" companies that have a limited, but high-quality, selection of trains and accessories. Again, I'd be inclined to trust them over anything made in China. In some cases, you can even visit the factory.

http://www.woodentrain.com/
http://store.woodenrailwayadventures.com/madeinusa.html
http://www.choochootrack.com/
http://www.maplelandmark.net/nametra...ains_wrs.lasso

After looking at all this stuff, I'm tempted to shell out for the TC Timber spiral track, and one of the Whittle Shortline replica trains, for DS's 2nd birthday. I have to admit, this would be more for me than for him... we have plenty of train stuff already, and he'd be happy to get a bunch of old shoe boxes and some crayons. But I'm sure he wouldn't object.
post #19 of 34
6/15/07 at 1:40am
I live in Japan and bought all of my sons Thomas trains here. He absolutely loves them --- including his Red James. I looked at them recently and the paint has chipped off of many of them. I find it absolutely unconscionable that a toy company can use lead paint on a children's toy. They are recalling toys purchased in 2005 -- as if taking the toy away now will somehow solve the problem. Is the company that makes Thomas trains going to compensate parents and children for lead exposure? How could this be proved? Basically, children and parents deserve more.
post #20 of 34
6/15/07 at 11:02am
So what can you do if you discover that your child has mouthed / gummed / teethed on them in the past? I know that a blood-test for lead is probably next, but what if it comes back elevated? How do I remedy this????
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Mothering › Mothering Discussion Forums › Parenting › Ages and Stages › The Childhood Years › Recall: Thomas the Tank Engine - lead poisoning hazard