Are your toys safe?

At Zimmermann True Value Hardware Store in Buffalo Grove, manager Tom Brinkman on Tuesday used an instant test for lead on two Mattel toys, a plastic Diego doll and a matchbox Police Field Unit.

Such tests are selling out, he said, as Mattel issued its second recall in two weeks, this time involving more than 9 million toys in the U.S.

"The recall will probably trigger a lot of (test kit) sales," Brinkman said.

He wiped both toys down with cloth strips that turn pinkish purple when lead paint is detected, but neither tested positive for lead. That despite the fact the plastic Diego is among the recalled toys.

Therein lies a quandary for many area parents who don't know how concerned they should be. In the first place, experts caution that home lead tests cannot substitute for the reliability of professional tests. They note that toys may be just one source of lead poisoning and, for that matter, the recalls involve more than just the possibility of lead exposure.

But as confusing as that all may be, it still should be taken seriously, they say.

The new recall involves about 9.3 million play sets containing small, powerful magnets -- including Polly Pocket dolls and Batman action figures -- and 253,000 die cast cars that contain lead paint.

Richard Derr, co-owner of Learning Express toy stores in Barrington and Lake Zurich, says it is no illusion that multiple recalls of Chinese products are becoming public at one time.

"Manufacturers made it clear earlier this year they were going to test more," said Derr, who said toys sales at his stores were up 25 percent in July, with American-made toys selling best.

Michele Katz, executive director of child learning centers Minee Subee Grand LLC, said parents Tuesday didn't mention the recall to her at her locations in Arlington Heights, Hanover Park, Lincolnshire and Mount Prospect.

"We distribute recall lists to all our schools and double check visually our toys," said Katz, who said employees have found and removed recalled toys at schools.

Federal and local officials on Tuesday warned consumers to check their homes to make sure their children were not playing with any of the recalled toys.

Nancy A. Nord, acting Consumer Product Safety Commission chairman, said no injuries have been reported with any of the products involved in Tuesday's recalls.

Several injuries had been reported in an earlier Polly Pocket recall last November. In all, at least one U.S. child has died and 19 others have needed surgery since 2003 after swallowing magnets used in toys, the government said.

Many of the magnetic toys are older and may have been purchased as early as 2003.

The commission, which negotiated details of Mattel's recalls, reported that in the previous recall of Polly Pocket play sets last year, three children were injured by swallowing more than one magnet. All three suffered intestinal perforations that required surgery. When more than one magnet is swallowed, they can attach to each other and cause intestinal perforation, infection or blockage, which can be fatal.

In a conference call with reporters, Mattel chief executive Bob Eckert said the company is stepping up its oversight and testing in its production processes. As a result, he noted, more recalls may occur.

"There is no guarantee that we will not be here again and have more recalls," Eckert said. "We are testing at a very high level here."

With about 80 percent of toys sold worldwide made in China, toy sellers are worried shoppers will shy away from their products.

Two weeks ago, Mattel's Fisher-Price division announced the worldwide recall of 1.5 million Chinese-made preschool toys -- featuring characters such as Dora the Explorer, Big Bird and Elmo -- due to lead paint issues.

In June, Oak Brook-based RC2 Corp. recalled 1.5 million Thomas & Friends Wooden Railway toys after lead paint was discovered on some of its trains made in China.

Lead is toxic if ingested by young children, and under current regulations, children's products found to have more than .06 percent lead accessible to users are subject to a recall.

Mattel launched a full-scale investigation into all its factories in China and discovered the latest problem during that investigation, Nord said.

Lead poisoning of children is much more commonly caused by household paints, according to Dr. Helen Binns, professor of pediatrics for Children's Memorial Hospital, Chicago.

"The overwhelming risk for lead is your home environment," said Binns, adding 68 percent of homes built before 1940 are thought to have unacceptable levels of lead paint. "Most children poisoned to any serious extent are poisoned by their homes."

Nord emphasized that parents worried about lead in their homes or on products should use professional testing services, which are more reliable than home test kits.