If you’re at all concerned about giving the children in your life lead-tainted toys this Christmas, there’s some good news.

A few area businesses have teamed up to offer free lead testing on toys this week at a number of locations across Northcentral Wisconsin.

It’s a collaboration between Cellcom and Cardinal Environmental to help answer the question on many parents, grandparents and aunts and uncles’ minds this season – is this toy safe?

“I wanted to not send it if it isn’t going to be a safe product,” said concerned grandmother Beverly Scott.

But now more of us here in Northcentral Wisconsin can get the answer for free.

All that’s required of you is to bring in a new or even favorite toy and the experts will tell you whether or not your gift is guaranteed safe.

“If the child would bite it and it would flake off there could be some danger in that,” Beverly said after learning the toy she purchased for her grandson contained lead. “I will pass that warning along to my daughter and I will send it unwrapped and let her be the final decider.”

If you have any concerns about the toys children in your life are playing with, you should quickly stop into a testing site. Completing a lead test takes just four or five seconds and then you’ll have an answer on whether the toy contains enough lead that it could be recalled, no lead or a “safe” amount of lead.

“It’s one of those questions that you walk a very gray line,” said Susan Kaiser of Cardinal Environmental. “Is any level of lead safe?”

“I don’t think we can be too careful with our grandchildren, our children or even our adult health,” Beverly said.

Free lead testing is being offered at the following locations this week:

Date Cellcom Location Time

12/12 Marshfield 9am-1pm
12/12 Wisconsin Rapids 3pm-7pm
12/15 Appleton 10am-2pm

For more information on recalled toys and lead poisoning, visit the State of Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services website by following the link below:

http://dhfs.wisconsin.gov/lead