Thomas Train Recall

The US Consumer Product Safety Corporation reported today that several Thomas Trains and related products sold between 2005 and 2007 could cause lead poisoning. They recommend that you take the toys away from your children and contact RC2 for a replacement.

Click the image to see a larger version.

Read the details in the CPSC press release.

I know absolutely nothing about lead poisoning, but this scares the monkey out of me since we have 6 of these trains, several of which have flaking paint, and all of which have been in every one one of my children's mouths, probably in the last 24 hours. I didn't get a chance to call the company, but leave a comment if you did and let me know what response you got.

Update: If you're as upset as I am about lead in our children's toys, sign this petition to tell Congress to make testing our kids' toys for toxic chemicals a priority.

Via Moms Rising.

Comments

[Laura]

I have a bunch of them too. I didn't call but instead went to the RC2 website and printed out a return form. They will send replacements and "free gift". It kind of irks me that I have to pay $ to ship them the product though. oh well.

[caron]

We had five of the pieces in question.

I printed out the pdf return sheet and mailed them off today.

The return sheet says, "Postage will be reimbursed via separately-mailed check at the estimated U.S. Postal Service Ground rate."

[Kathy]

96% of the wooden Thomas trains sold in this country have the WJ or the AZ letters in the manufacturer's number that excludes them from the recall. However, I doubt that this is going to stop a lot of people from trying to get a free train. Also as the packaging states that the toys are for 3 and over i have to wonder how many kids are actually chewing on the trains. Yes, I am a parent. Yes, I buy wooden Thomas trains. No, I am not worried.

[Kristy]

Yes I am very worried. We have seven of the train pieces. I am worried that we will send them off and my son will not get a replacement. These trains are very expensive and I don't want to be out the $70 plus dollars it cost to buy them, but I also want my family safe so I have taken them away. This REALLY irks me.

[susanne bromfield]

I am highly annoyed and upset! I have 2 young boys, 3+yrs and 18mo. The older one adores thomas and we have a pretty full set, perhaps 30+ pieces - both play every day with it. I am utterly schocked that our consumer protection agency even allows these products imported into our country since we've known about the dangers of lead poisening for 30+ years. I am a working mom and additionally angry that i have to take the time to remove and replace these items and check for any poisening in my children. I will sign on on petition to ban any imported children's products that do not meet our own standards. Next time, buy german toys!

[susanne bromfield]

I am highly annoyed and upset! I have 2 young boys, 3+yrs and 18mo. The older one adores thomas and we have a pretty full set, perhaps 30+ pieces - both play every day with it. I am utterly schocked that our consumer protection agency even allows these products imported into our country since we've known about the dangers of lead poisening for 30+ years. I am a working mom and additionally angry that i have to take the time to remove and replace these items and check for any poisening in my children. I will sign on on petition to ban any imported children's products that do not meet our own standards. Next time, buy german toys!

[bellamom]

I am very upset with this recall. It just amazes me that if you purchase a house a lead disclosure form is required by law BUT for children's toys not to have any type of protection is just ignorant. Toy makers should know that children still put things in their mouths and why would they think that putting lead into any aspect of any toy is okay. Where in the sam hill is our government on this? Why wasn't this put into action the same time that the lead poisioning for housing went into effect? I will send the pieces I need to return but I am so furious over this. I will sign the ban as well. We need to keep our jobs in the U.S. not from overseas!!

[Amanda]

I was cleaning up my son's room today and found a wooden Thomas train that didn't contain the "WJ" or "AZ" on it so I thought I would look it up. It turns out that none of the actual "Thomas" trains are on the list, but it got me thinking why only the red ones? Thomas has some red and yellow on it too. I looked at the company's site recalls.rc2.com and noticed that they say the trains that are recalled have "excess levels of lead". What exactly does that mean? Do all their products have some lead in them, but they are not in excess? I am sick and tired of companies using things that are a hazard to our enviroment, like lead and flouride, in things like paint or toothpaste. They need to find some other way to get rid of this stuff other than passing it along to unsuspecting consumers. So the question is does my son's wooden Thomas train contain lead, but it is in an "acceptable" amount?

[Rachelle]

I have the same question Amanda does.
What does excess mean--do all the red (and yellow) parts on the trains not recalled contain lead too. I bet this is impossible to find an answer to and I so wish I had never bought Thomas for my sons. I'm going with US or German made and may just sell our entire collection. I'm so irked.
Megan--did you decide to have your children tested for lead?

[Megan]

I didn't get my kids tested for lead. I hadn't even thought of that. I'm going to e-mail the doctor now.

[Steve Duce]

Let me tell you why I'm worried and am having my son checked for lead. He's a totally normal kid and I've been giving him these toys to play with starting at age two. At 2 y 10 months he started having seizures. I know odds are aginst it but can anyone tell me it's NOT the trains? Doctors don't know why and meds are not working either. Tell me 100% it's not the lead. Doesn't it seem like we're getting a lot of bad stuff imported. Blood results not back yet. Even if negative, this is not acceptable!
I'm hot!
Steve

[Amanda]

Steve,

I did find that very high levels of lead can cause seizures. Has your child's doctor never tested him for lead until now? My kids have been tested twice already and they are not even sick. It is just something they do because when kids are young they put things in their mouths. I know the were tested around the age of 1 and then again at 2 or 3. The problem is lead is found in so many things...most people don't even know about it. Our first apartment had lead in the paint (which flaked off the walls). There is also lead in candle wicks, so when you burn a candle the lead is breathed in. Fishing weights have lead in them and so does solder. Here is a website to learn more about it. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002473.htm If you are sure that it is lead poisoning then you can by a home lead test kit and go around your house and test what ever you think may be the coulprit. I wish you and your family the best. If the doctors say that it isn't lead poisoning then I would look at vaccinations, that will be harder to prove since no one wants to admit that they have harmful things in them too. Mercury for instance is put in our children's vaccines as well as many other things. Good luck.

[Chris P.]

Hello, I am with Viles and Beckman, LLC. We are actively investigating the current Thomas the Tank Engine/RC2 lead toys debacle. If any parents or toy owners would like their toys to have their lead levels check (in an independent lab in Massachusetts) please contact our firm. We will happily accept your toys, return them (if you so wish), and inform you of the results of the testing.

Thank You,
Chris P.

For more information please email (any of the addresses below):
metasaiyan45@hotmail.com marcus@vilesandbeckman.com
michael@vilesandbeckman.com

[Lori]

I just found out from a friend last night about the recall and it scares me alot. My son was washing his in the bathroom sink and the paint got soggy and started peeling off. I hope this does not expose him more? I guess now I will have him tested and reserch lead poision as well. My friend made a comment that this is just another small way CHINA is going to get us. Unfortunetly we can't say we are going to not buy anything that is made in China or we won't be able to buy anything!

[Steve Duce]

I posted a while back about my concern for lead in these toys and I'm having my son checked for lead because of unexplained and un-controllable seizures. I'm reposting because of questions to me from the board and I have one serious question not posted yet.

I removed a dozen trains on the list from my son's toy box, which he's played with for 2.5 years and I wonder; if all these trains came from the same place “CHINA” and different colors have lead, how the heck can we trust the train company to supply us with accurate information.

For example, how do we know the red James has lead but the other red items do not or the yellow stop sign which had lead as well, how do we know it wasn't painted using the same paint onto the Bill & Ben engines which are not on the list?

Don't we need an independent "US" company to test these items or do we trust China and the maker to let us know? Look how long these have been on the market before we received the current list. It's kind of scary isn't it? Do we let our kids play with the non-list items? Are parents removing them all or just the listed trains? Should we have an option of a refund of all the trains until an independent company not paid by this group tells us it's ok? Am I over reacting or do you want to know these answers as well?

Answers to questions to me:
The vaccinations my son received did not have mercury. I asked prior to the shot but was concerned about autism from possible mercury. Is lead really a regularly scheduled test because this is the first I've heard of regular lead test.
Also, our house is only a few years old so unless the contractor ordered the paint from China, it's latex.

Anyway, I know the odds are against the lead causing my son's unexplainable seizures but you just never know so we're still waiting on the tests to rule it out.

It just makes me so darn mad to even worry about these darn trains and I feel someone should be held accountable in some way. I think companies which import product should test the make up of their products and be fined if we find out there are issues with items these companies bring into the US. It's the only way I see to get it done. It'll also save us billions from trying to figure out a way for our government to do it. What if one of our nation's leader's children was in my family's situation?
Do you think this issue would die or would someone need to answer?

Finally,
If these tests come back positive, you're gonna hear my noise because I'm marching straight to capital hill with as many upset parents as I can get. I'll call it the million mad parent march or something like that.

Steve

[Lori]

Hi again,
I just wanted to say I hope everything turns out okay for Steve and his son and family. Please let us know. Also, I have been looking into this and trying to find out if the imaginarium train set is included. It looks just like the Thomas train set and is wood and painted. I can't find out and I am sure it was most likely made in China since most everything is. Anyways, I did find a website called US Consumer Product Safety Commission www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/category/toy.html if it doesn't come up just google US Consumer Product Safety Commission. Anyways, it is quite scarey all the items listed. We have alot of kid toys with high levels of lead and they are all coming from China and it has been going on for years. You might want to take a look. This really troubles me. I am buying toys for my kids to make them happy & learn, not to get sick. I personaly wish we would stop importing things from third world & communist countries who really don't like us. We are making China rich while they are killing us in so many ways.

[Meg]

We had one recalled train- it was actually a caboose. It didn't have any markings on the bottom. Thankfully, we had just got it so I am not too concerned. Like another mom, I just hope that I actually DO get a train back.I hear that they send a free train as the "free gift".

[Holly]

I had 8 pcs and send them back right after the recall was announced and haven't gotten anything back yet. Has anyone actually received replacements and the 'free gift' and the postage??? Not sure how long I am supposed to have to wait?

[Amanda]

I am concerned that people are sending their trains back for replacements. If my child's trains were affected by lead I would send them back and demand my money back. I certainly wouldn't trust them to send me a lead free train. Do these new trains "have lead but in a SAFE amount"? Wake up America we have go to ban together and work towards better regulations of these products being made overseas.

[Lori]

Well now they are recalling lots of Fisher Price toys that were made in China. I have the Deigo 4x4. Well heck I just don't know what to do. I am looking at all my son's toys like they are potention hazards to him. I am at a loss for words. I just don't know what has happened to this great nation and why we are letting it. Take care & God Bless!

[Karen]

I received the "free gift" last week (Toad the brake van) with a letter saying my replacement trains are arriving seperately (Old Slow Coach and Christmas Caboose).

Friday I received an e-mail from RC2 saying that my replacements trains have been packed and shipped and I should expect them this week.

Today I received a check for $2.49 for return postage reimbursement.

[Karen]

I received the "free gift" last week (Toad the brake van) with a letter saying my replacement trains are arriving seperately (Old Slow Coach and Christmas Caboose).

Friday I received an e-mail from RC2 saying that my replacements trains have been packed and shipped and I should expect them this week.

Today I received a check for $2.49 for return postage reimbursement.

[Dina]

I do have one of the Thomas pieces being recalled but am concerned about the Imaginariam train sets as well. Has anyone heard/seen anything?

[Maria]

Are all German made toys guaranteed lead-free? I've heard Germany has very strict requirements in the production of their children's toys. But can we confirm all the components used to make up the German toys are in fact made in the country and not imported from, say China?

[magnetic]

We sent four trains back for lead paint. About 3 weeks ago we received new trains, plus Toad the Brake Van.

Today I received a postage reimbursement - $1.81! It cost $3.03 to send these trains at the lowest possible rate in a padded envelope. Due to the weight of the trains (I have a postal scale) even without the envelope, $1.81 isn't even close to the amount it costs to send these in. My husband is very upset that it has now cost us money to replace these trains when we were supposed to be reimbursed.