Lead Found in Thomas the Train Toys: Just a Coincidence?
June 16, 2007 by Kristina Chew, PhD
Filed under Health
Thomas the Tank Engine toys recalled due to lead paint.
It is not unknown that more than a few autistic children are very interested in trains and toy trainsets, and, too, in Thomas. As Charlotte Moore wrote on p. 177 of George and Sam of Thomas’ creator: “An admiration for the works of the Reverend W. Awdry is almost a diagnostic requirement of autism.” How many of those toys might belong to autistic children, might have been played with by autistic children on display tables in toy stores, might even have been mouthed (albeit briefly) by a child who therefore might have ingested lead which therefore might have to be chelated out of the child……..
Coincidence?
Moore is of course referring to the books written by the Reverend that inspired the creation of who knows how many trains, boxcars, railway stations, and so forth, many of which are now being recalled by RC2 Corporation, but it seems to me that some autism-causation hypothesizers could spin a story out of Thomas’, and RC2’s, lead paint woes.
My husband is very wound up about this recall, and is even having me take the twins for a lead test next week.
I feel sure that they were very different long before they came in contact with Thomas or any of his friends! And if they do have high lead levels, there would be no way to say that Thomas was to blame.
Oh no—-will the twins be all right without the Thomas trains?
I am astounded that in the above comment you were more concerned with the feelings of the children over the real risk to their health.
a child in the US (2006) died ingesting lead from a toy
http://www.epa.gov/lead/pubs/toyjewelry.htm
Lead can’t be removed with Education.
If your child has one of the toys take them to the doctors and have them checked out.
I hope such concern as you mention is quite implied! Thanks for the link.
We didn’t buy any trains of the colors in the recall in the timeframe indicated for the recall.
The kids have differing interests in the trains; both the boys want to build track, both the twins like to run trains on built track, but S. doesn’t run trains on the tracks he’s built and C. doesn’t put together tracks.
(I’m trying to figure out what will give me the best value in terms of quality and quantity for just buying track. I think we have enough train cars at this point, but there’s no such thing as too much track, right?)
Charlie’s train-playing days are long gone—-track are pieces in an endless jigsaw puzzle!
Hello, I am with Viles and Beckman, LLC. We are actively investigating the current Thomas the Tank Engine/RC2 lead toys debacle. If any parents or toy owners would like their toys to have their lead levels check (in an independent lab in Massachusetts) please contact our firm. We will happily accept your toys, return them (if you so wish), and inform you of the results of the testing.
Thank You,
Chris P.
For more information please email (any of the addresses below):
metasaiyan45@hotmail.com marcus@vilesandbeckman.com
michael@vilesandbeckman.com
So, how much paint would a kid have to eat off to be affected by the lead anyway??? I haven’t seen any chips of paint missing from our 100 or so trains… do your kids suck on their trains or what?
I have an autistic 4 year old that has played with the Thomas the Tank Engine trains for years! He has chewed on the James the Red engine so much, it fell apart. James is on the recall list also. I am having him tested tonight, and will pick up a home testing kit to test ALL his trains. If I find a link, you can bet I’ll be filing suit!
HAS ANYONE THOUGHT THAT AUTISM CAME AFTER THE THOMAS TRAINS? WHAT IF THERE IS SOME KIND OF LINK~(FROM THE LEAD) I HAVE TWO BOYS AND TWO BOYS JUST LOVE THOMAS BOTH HAVE AUTISM
1. Why are there different levels of autism and types? High vs low functioning, asperger’s, etc. and all ‘discovered recently’…
2. Look at the human enviornment since the 40s. a. genocide where people were buried or burned or disease ridden and returned to the earth, b. atomic material released into the air and ground and water, c. virus’, chemical pollution, etc.
3. Look at the amount of commercials on tv that tell you to buy this or that pill for a cure or treatment of a condition. a. Where have those conditions come from and why all of a sudden these cures.
4. Disaster, horror, alien movies being pressed upon us daily. All we being told something?
This is my theory. It isn’t just lead in paint. It is a combination of what I call the “McClain Cold War Casualty Theory (c)” (ok, why not claim something). Decades of pollution, war, and experimentation have led to the human condition since the 50s. We are all Cold War casualties. We are paying the price of human pollution and corporate experimentation. It might be time for each human being to stand up and speak out and ask why.