Suit filed in Disneyland lead issue

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LOS ANGELES, Oct. 18 (UPI) -- Some features at Disneyland in California, including some of its most popular attractions, can expose children to high levels of lead, a lawsuit claims.

The suit, filed in April in Orange County Superior Court by the Mateel Environmental Justice Fund, claims objects handled routinely by guests at the park -- such as the Sword in Stone exhibit, where park guests can be photographed trying to pull "Ex Calibur" from a stone -- expose children to lead. Other allegedly hazardous features include brass door knobs and stained glass windows.

Mateel President William Verick said in a statement the lawsuit seeks to have Walt Disney Parks and Resorts U.S. Inc. "take steps that should have been taken when we first told them that children at Disneyland are in danger of illegal lead exposures," the Los Angeles Times reported Monday.

Citing court documents, the newspaper said Disney rejected the lawsuit's claims.

Suzi Brown, a spokeswoman for Disney, told the Times the company could not comment specifically on the lawsuit but said "we believe that Disneyland Resort is in full compliance with the signage requirements" of state law.

Mateel contends testing performed during June found lead exposures higher than state law permits from hand contact with surfaces at the Haunted Mansion, the Peter Pan Ride and Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, as well as on a stained-glass window near a restaurant.