Dear Santa: No lead, please

BETHESDA, Md., Dec. 15 (UPI) -- Toy-giving Santa's helpers need to take note some toys still contain lead, a U.S. doctor warns.

Dr. Christina Hantsch -- associate professor and director of the section of toxicology, division of emergency medicine at the Stritch School of Medicine at Chicago's Loyola University Health System -- says nothing is more attractive to children than toys with bright coloring. However, parents should be aware brightly colored toys can pose a dangerous health risk to children from exposure to lead-based paint.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission in Bethesda, Md., has ordered the removal of 14 types of toys from U.S. store shelves in 2009 due to high lead counts, Hantsch says.

"Children are mostly affected by lead poisoning because of their habit of putting things into their mouths," Hantsch says in a statement. "Unfortunately, children's systems easily absorb lead. Lead poisoning can cause long-term mental and physical problems, and in some cases death."

More information and lists of toys that have been recalled in 2009 are online at www.cpsc.gov.