The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with FloraCraft Corp, today announced a voluntary recall of about 930,000 Solar System Kits and DNA Kits because the surface coating on the educational kit’s wires can contain excessive levels of lead, violating the federal lead paint standard.

This recall involves the “Solar System” and the “DNA” children’s educational craft kits sold under the FloraCraft and HYGLOSS brand names. The kits contain green coated wires that measure 14 ½ inches long and Styrofoam shapes. The following model numbers are included in this recall. The model number is located on the kit’s packaging.

Consumers should immediately take the craft kit’s wires away from children and contact FloraCraft toll-free at (866) 775-8781, or visit the firm’s Web site at www.floracraft.com to obtain free replacements.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with Alpargatas today announced a voluntary recall of about 210,000 pairs of Children’s flip flops because the decorative paint on the sole of the flip flops can contain levels of lead in excess of the federal standard.

Flip flops of the Havaianas brand containing decorative paint were sold under the following model names: Baby Estampas, Baby Pets, Kids Apple, Kids Fairy, Kids Flores, Kids Lighthouse, Kids Monsters, Kids Surf, Baby Letrinhas, Kids Sports, Kids Candies, Kids Fun, Kids Love, Kids Sereias, Kids Speed, Kids Lucky Bug, Kids Pets, Kids Rock, Kids Slim, Kids Wonder Woman, Kids Small Flowers and Kids Tropical w/Kit. A photo of a representative flip flop is provided below. Havaianas flip flops without decorative paint are not being recalled.

Consumers should immediately take the recalled flip flops away from children and return them to Alpargatas USA, Inc. to receive a replacement.

For additional information, please contact Alpargatas USA at (888) 289-5306 between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, or visit the company’s Web site at www.havaianasus.com

The red paint which is underneath the black finish paint on some of the cribs and matching furniture exceeds federal lead limits. If ingested by young children lead can cause adverse health effects.

Munire has received one report of a child ingesting the paint. The child was diagnosed with lead poisoning.

The recalled cribs and furniture are made of wood and have a rubbed black finish. Only the “Newport Rubbed Black” cribs and matching furniture manufactured in Indonesia between April 2006 and November 2008 are included in this recall. The model number, date, and country of manufacture are printed on the label attached to the side panel of the crib and the date of manufacture is on the back panel of the furniture.

Models listed below are included in the recall:

Consumers should immediately stop using the products and contact Munire Furniture toll-free at (866) 586-9639 between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, or visit the firm’s Web site at www.munirefurniture.com to receive a replacement coupon which will entitle consumers to exchange the products for another product free of charge.

Testing by the Center for Environmental Health in Oakland, Calif., found that some of the “Montana” items for sale at Toys R’ Us, Wal-Mart and Target had high levels of lead, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported Saturday.Among the items found with the increased lead levels were vinyl backpacks and purses, along with a vinyl wallet and other items based on the popular children’s TV series.

Yet Walt Disney officials, whose company created “Montana” and its accompanying products, said all of its licensed products undergo a thorough review to ensure they follow safety guidelines.

“We require all licensed producers of products using Disney characters to test their products and to comply with all applicable product safety laws and standards,” a statement from the company said.

Despite that claim, a Consumer Product Safety Commission spokeswoman told the newspaper the center’s findings were being investigated.

Five vinyl products tested between three and 14 times higher than the federal paint standard, three other vinyl products tested above 200 ppm, and one tested at nearly that level, the center said.

Many of the items in question are handbags, purses, and backpacks. Some of those items are pictured below. SOURCE

The “X Force Commander” is a set of six plastic jet airplanes. Item number 5689 is printed on the front of the packaging. The airplanes are painted green, red, blue, silver, black and yellow. The “Super Famous” is a set of a plastic toy car and a motorcycle. The car is yellow or red and the motorcycle is gray.

Parents are being asked to immediately take these toys away from children and return to them to the store where purchased for a refund.

For additional information, contact S.U. Wholesale toll-free at (877) 580-8883 between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. PT Monday through Friday.

Recently Recalled Products:

• RECALL: Ellaroo Infant Sling Carriers Due to Fall Hazard
• RECALL: Infantino Infant Rattles Due to Choking Hazard
• RECALL: Combi Infant Car Seats Due To Potential Seperation Hazard
• RECALL: Munire Furniture Cribs Due to Fall Hazard

The products include a Medela-brand cooler for storing breast milk, a cooler sold with the First Years breast pump manufactured by RC2, a Playtex baby bottle cooler and a vinyl pacifier carrying case made by Skip Hop.

The Center for Environmental Health, the group that did the tests, purchased the products in January and tested them first with a hand-held metal detector and then at a laboratory. The products were found to have from 1,100 parts per million of lead to 5,500 parts per million of lead, the group says.

Because the lead is not accessible, the plastics and children’s products industries claim that lead in plastic is not a health concern.

U.S. law bans lead from paint used on toys and other children’s products, but there is no mandatory federal rule about lead inside other materials in children’s products.

American legislators are considering new laws about product safety, and one provision in the proposed law would put a limit on the total amount of lead that could be in children’s products, no matter the materials. If enacted, that limit might forbid lead in plastic at the levels found by the California group. The group contends that no level of lead is safe in children’s products.

Allen Blakey, a spokesman for the Vinyl Institute, a trade group based in Arlington, Virginia, said it was unclear how lead could have gotten in plastic children’s products. The vinyl industry in the United States stopped using lead in plastic years ago, he said, and instead uses tin, calcium, barium or zinc as a stabilizer to provide durability.

SOURCE

The recalled children’s sketchbooks have colored spiral metal bindings, drawing paper, and cardboard covers in the following styles. “eeBoo” and the style name are printed on a sticker on the back cover.

Parents are being asked to contact eeBoo Corp. at (800) 791-5619 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, or visit the firm’s Web site at www.eeBoo.com to find out how you receive a free replacement book with a plain metal spine.

The Big Wooden Blocks contain 30 or 60 colorful block pieces in 11 geometric shapes. The Jumbo Wooden Train Sets contain 70 wooden pieces including trees, stop and railroad crossing signs, a red wooden engine and green train cars. The following style numbers and UPC numbers are printed on the packaging of the toys.

Parents are being asked to take the recalled toys away from children and return the toys to any Christmas Tree Shop to receive a refund.

You can contact Christmas Tree Shops at (888) 287-3232 between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, or visit the firm’s Web site at www.christmastreeshops.com

Only the dice found in Cranium Cadoo board games with lot numbers 2007195 through 2007244 are included in the recall. The Cranium Cadoo game is packaged in a square cardboard box with an orange background. The seven digit lot number is printed under the plastic tray on the bottom half of the box.

What should you do? Throw out the dice that came with the game and contact the company for a new one.

For additional information, contact Cranium Inc. at (877) 272- 6486 between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. PT, Monday through Friday or visit the firm’s Web site at www.cranium.com