ESI-R Screening Materials, educational materials made by RR Donnelly of Chicago, Ill have been recalled by the Consumer Product Safety Commission because surface paint on some of the defective materials contains lead paint in excess of federal standards. Lead can cause serious problems if ingested by children.
The ESI-R Screening Materials recall encompasses 18,0000 sets of education materials used to screen young children. The recalled ESI-R Screening Materials items include 10 green wooden blocks, a plastic yellow car, an 8-ft. white cloth ribbon, 10 black and white printed cards with shapes, a red rubber ball, and a blue plastic button. The ESI-R Screening Materials were distributed by Pearson Learning Group, and Pearson Early Learning, of Upper Saddle River, N.J to schools, examiners, and educators nationwide via sales representatives, catalogs, and the firm’s Web sites www.pearsonschool.com and www.pearsonlearning.com, from January 2003 through November 2007 for about $23. The materials were also part of a larger ESI-R kit that sold for about $120. According to the CPSC, the green wooden blocks contained in the ESI-R materials are contain lead paint.
Lead exposure is especially dangerous for children under 6 because they are still growing, and their brains are developing. Small children often put toys in their mouths, and sometimes inadvertently eat paint chips. If lead is ingested, it can cause behavioral problems, learning disabilities, seizures and even death.
The symptoms of lead poisoning often mimic other illnesses. They include irritability; loss of appetite; weight loss; sluggishness; abdominal pain; vomiting; constipation and pallor from anemia. There are often no signs that a child has been exposed to lead, and a blood test is the only way to determine if someone is suffering from lead poisoning. Mild cases of lead poisoning are treated by ending the lead exposure and having the patient submit to follow-up blood tests. A treatment called Chelation Therapy is used when children test positive for high levels of lead in their blood.
Consumers who purchased the ESI-R Screening materials should immediately stop using the blocks in the ESI-R Screening Materials. RR Donnelley will provide free replacement materials and instructions for returning the recalled product. RR Donnelley is directly contacting purchasers and posting information about the ESI-R Screening Materials recall on its Web site.
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