The Chicago Tribune has conducted testing on about 800 toys and other items sold in shops, department stores, supermarkets, discount outlets in the Chicago area and on the Internet. Of the 800 toys around 12 toys have been found with lead above federal safety limit, of which some had lead levels more than 10 times that limit.

In addition, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found all at-home lead test kits "unreliable" and recommends that parents refrain from using them. Of 104 test kits evaluated, 56 failed to detect lead when present, and two detected lead even in the absence of the toxic metal. However, none consistently detected lead covered by a non-lead coating.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said to the Chicago Tribune it "always welcomes credible information to be reported to the agency so that we could follow up to determine if in fact toys, based on our own scientific testing, are in violation of the law," according to spokeswoman Julie Vallese.

The good news is that there have been no reports of lead-related illnesses, but lead can do harm silently by causing irreversible neurological damage as well as renal disease, cardiovascular effects, and reproductive toxicity. Lead poisoning is also called "painter's colic".

The vast majority of tainted toys were made in China, and the Chicago Tribune noticed that upscale toy stores did not have a better safety record than cheaper places.

"It's just one more thing you've got to think about when you're out there looking for toys," said to Chicago Tribune Nancy Stanek, owner of the four Toys Et Cetera shops in the Chicago area. "You're much more cognizant of country of origin, what companies are doing more testing, and whatnot."

Independently of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tests, the Consumers Union, which is the publisher of Consumer Reports, found that three of five home lead-testing kits were a useful screening tool for careful parents. They allegedly are Homax Lead Check, $8; Lead Check Household Lead Test Kit, $18.45; and Lead Inspector, $13.