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Recall alerts prompt project

A Utica-Shelby Kiwanian prepares to test a tricycle’s bright red paint for lead.

“Product recall,” scream newspaper headlines. “Toxic paint,” warn television reporters. A recent spate of stories about lead-laced products sent many parents into a toychest-clearing panic. Unsure about the safety of his son’s tricycle, one Michigan father determined to trash the toy, rather than risk his boy’s health.

Rightly so, according to the Mayo Clinic.

“Children are more susceptible to lead poisoning because lead can accumulate in their nervous system as they grow and develop,” states a Mayo Clinic health article.

“Death by lead poisoning is uncommon, but dangerous levels of lead in children may cause serious health problems, including lower intelligence and poor school performance.”

Nevertheless, the boy was heartbroken at the prospect of losing his wheels. So before the father toted the trike to the trash, he visited the Kiwanis Club of Utica-Shelby Township, which was testing household items for lead content.

“Please, please tell me there’s no lead in this,” he begged.

Several weeks prior to the father’s plea, Kiwanis club member Kimberly Weigand heard about lead-testing devices. Always on the lookout for short-duration projects that can impact children’s lives, club members found a company in Houston, Texas, that rents spectral-based detectors.

Upon the equipment’s arrival, the club invited parents to bring in toys and other items to be tested. Over a five-hour period, members scanned more than 500 fire trucks, racecars, dishes, and at least one tricycle.

“Many parents expressed great concern about their children’s toys and in most cases were greatly relieved by negative test results,” Rick says.

Among the grateful customers were a father and his tricycle-riding toddler.