GAMBLING WITH KIDS' HEALTH TOY GIANT MATTEL UNDER CONGRESSIONAL SCRUTINY OVER TAINTED PRODUCTS.

Byline: LISA FRIEDMAN

Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON -- Southern California toy giant Mattel Inc. was blasted by congressional leaders Wednesday for failing to detect the recent flood of lead-paint contamination in Chinese-made Barbie dolls, Thomas and Friends train sets and millions of other toys.

And in the first of a two-day hearing on tainted toys, legislators accused Mattel of negligence and obstructing a congressional investigation into how the El Segundo-based company's toys made their way into the hands of U.S. children.

"Mattel chose to gamble with our children's health, apparently for a few extra dollars," said Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Chicago. The company, she said, "has forfeited the right to expect any parent to trust them."

Added Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas, "When you can't trust Thomas the Train and you can't trust a company like Mattel, it's just staggering that we have to worry about some of these issues."

Since August, Mattel and other companies have recalled millions of toys made in China because of excessive levels of lead and small magnets that may detach.

Lead can be toxic if ingested by children, causing brain damage and learning problems. About 86 percent of all toys sold in the U.S. are manufactured in China.

On Tuesday, Mattel CEO Bob Eckert unveiled a raft of new safety measures the company has instituted, including independent inspections of all Chinese-made toys.

And he said he hopes to win back the confidence of America's parents.

"My No. 1 goal is to make sure that this holiday season's toys are the safest ever," Eckert told the committee.

The Los Angeles area, particularly the San Fernando Valley, is home to nearly 300 toy manufacturers and wholesalers with an estimated $5 billion in annual sales.

While the reeling toy industry makes up only a small part of the local economy, the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp.'s vice president and chief economist, Jack Kyser, said the safety implications are widespread.

With China as the Los Angeles customs district's largest trading partner, he said, lingering concerns about product safety could hurt other industries -- from apparel manufacturers that import dyes to furniture makers and lighting designers that import parts.

"It's not just toys that have safety concerns. There are a lot of ramifications for everybody who is importing from China," Kyser said. "A lot of people are watching."

Rep. Jane Harman, D-El Segundo, joined Tuesday's hearing of the House Energy and Commerce's consumer-protection subcommittee to note that Mattel employs more than 2,000 people in her district.

Harman praised Eckert for the company's actions since the lead crisis came to light, but she also issued a warning.

"Employees lose jobs if employers don't behave responsibly," she said, urging Mattel to bring its manufacturing back to the United States.

But Mattel didn't get all the blame Tuesday for the tainted toy crisis.

"There's a lot of blame to go around for everybody," said committee Chairman John Dingell, D-Mich.

Several lawmakers cited an underfunded and understaffed Consumer Product Safety Commission. Thirty years ago, about 800 people worked to ensure product safety. Today, the agency employs about half that number.

Acting commission Chairwoman Nancy Ord and Commissioner Thomas H. More urged Congress to give the agency more funding to modernize outdated labs and get the tools to regulate products made with lead.

Currently, the commission cannot regulate lead unless its presence in a product might cause "substantial personal injury."

And while the agency has negotiated an agreement with Chinese officials that includes strict new safety measures, lawmakers questioned whether it will be enforceable.

Ord said the agency has no mechanism to enforce sanctions or other consequences if Chinese officials fail to meet new safety standards and suggested that the market itself will enforce the regulations.

"Frankly," she said, "at the end of the day, economics counts for everything." Chinese officials now know, she contended, that if safety measures aren't met, "people won't buy their products."

Meanwhile on Wednesday, Los Angeles County health officials said they are not aware of any cases in recent years in which lead poisoning was caused primarily by toys.

They said most childhood cases of lead poisoning are caused by ingesting lead from soil, paint in homes built before 1978 or brought home on clothing by parents with industrial jobs.

In 1996, the county had 1,394 cases of elevated lead levels in children under 6 years old. By 2006, the number of cases was down to 514.

Health officials said if parents discover that their children have been eating parts of toys that have been recalled because of lead, the child should be tested.

If the child has simply been normally playing with the toys, it is less likely to have caused a problem.

"If they feel there's a concern, they should consult with their doctor and have a blood test," said Angie Toyota, director of the county's Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program.

Parents who are concerned about toys or other products that might contain lead can have the products tested at a local hardware store -- which can do a quick swab test -- or at a professional lab, Toyota said.

"But the likelihood of getting poisoned from these toys, unless you ingest it, is very small," she said.

Staff Writer Harrison Sheppard contributed.

lisa.friedman(at)langnews.com

[phone]

Who to call

Los Angeles County lead hotline: (800) LA4-LEAD

Los Angeles County Web site: www.lapublichealth.org/lead

Federal Centers for Disease Control: www.cdc.gov/nceh/lead/faq/toys.htm

CAPTION(S):

2 photos, box

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(1 -- color) Mattel Chairman and CEO Bob Eckert testifies on Capitol Hill on Wednesday during a hearing on lead-tainted children's products.

Lauren Victoria Burke/Associated Press

(2 -- color) Mattel CEO Bob Eckert said he hopes to win back the confidence of parents with new safety measures.

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Who to call (see text)