Get the lead out

Do you worry about lead in your kids’ toys? Do you worry more about handmade products or about mass-produced products? That’s what we asked readers of our weekly e-newsletter, Minnesota Parent This Week. Here’s what you had to say.

No, I don’t worry about it.
– Robert Reitz, Plymouth

Yes and I have tested some just to be safe.
– Stacie Paetznick, New Brighton

Yes because of the news and more the handmade toys are of concern in our home. We refrain from buying them.
– Shelly Smith, Minnetonka

I don’t worry about any toy. Unless I hear a recall, I don’t lose sleep. I do, however, avoid buying toys at dollar stores and in vending machines, where there seems to be a more likely chance of buying toys with higher levels of lead.
– Hareen Witherspoon, Crystal

Not really. If the paint is flaky, I don’t care if it has lead or not — it’s time to toss. There’s a neat quality to some really old toys that has value too. As long as they’re not eating it for lunch, I think the risk of problems coming from lead in these items is minimal.
– Nicole Celichowski, St. Paul

Yes, I do worry about lead in toys. I worry more about mass-produced toys, because that is what is most common in my house.
– Jody Doll, Brooklyn Park

Mass-produced products concern me more. Especially plastic toys that are likely to contain lead, phthalates, and other harmful chemicals.
– Jing Goldsmith, Eden Prairie

I worry a little about lead. I try to buy American as much as possible. Handmade products are always my preference.
– Sarah Lamb, Oakdale

This is not a huge concern of mine, but I would be more worried about mass produced toys purely for the fact that a lot of them are looking for a way to skim a few bucks, and all of the work on most toys are done outside of the country.
– Natasha Winkel, Hugo

I did when they were little, but now at 8 and 12 they don’t put things into their mouths usually. We did have one scare about two years ago when our daughter swallowed part of a decoration on a hair clip, but we tested it and found no lead.
– Davida Alperin, St. Paul

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