The holidays are here and toy shoppers need to be carfeul about their purchases. Lead paint and dangerous materials can be found in many kids’ toys, as the California Attorney General’s Office has found.

Last week, Jerry Brown, California Attorney General sent letters to six retailers “warning them that a number of children’s products on their store shelves were found to contain ‘illegal levels of lead’ and to pull the products from their stores immediately,” according to the press release from Brown’s office.

The I-Team has tracked problems with children’s toys, looking at dangerous lead levels in children’s lunch boxes, dishware, and in holiday toys, among other reports on kids’ product safety.

Under California law, children’s products cannot contain more than 300 parts per million (PPM) of lead. Still Brown’s office reported the following items violated that standard:

- Kids Poncho, Wal-Mart stores, 677 ppm;
- MSY Faded Glory Rebecca Shoes, Wal-mart, 1331 ppm;
- Reversible Croco Belt, Target, 4270 ppm;
- Dora the Explorer Activity Tote, TJ Maxx, 2348 ppm;
- Paula Fuschia Open-Toed Shoes, Sears, 3957 ppm;
- Disney Fairies Silvermist’s Water Lily Necklace, Walgreens, 22000 ppm;
- Barbie Bike Flair Accessory Kit, Tuesday Morning stores, 6196 ppm.

This week, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission Chairman Inez Tenenbaum said safety is a priority when shopping for kids’ products.

“We all remember the lead paint problems involving Thomas the Train and Fisher Price recalls,” said Tenenbaum. “Well, this year, the legal limits for the amount of lead paint on toys dropped to some of lowest limits in the world. For the first time ever, new federal rules also put strict limits on how much total lead can be in toys and all children’s products. And toys now have to be independently tested and certified that they meet the new lead paint limits.”

The law also puts a limit on some phthalates, a worrisome chemical the I-Team has reported on.

The CPSC reports they’ve had 38 toy recalls in 2009, which is a decrease from the 162 recalls they had in 2008 and the 148 recalls in 2007. This year, they’ve handled 15 lead recalls, compared to 63 in 2007 and 85 in 2008.