Health Highlights: Sept. 22, 2007

Tests detected elevated levels of lead in three of the green canvas boxes, which were distributed at health fairs and other events, theAssociated Pressreported. The lunch boxes carry a logo that says "eat fruits and vegetables and be active."

Parents whose children used the lunch boxes should consult with a doctor to determine if the children should be tested for exposure to lead, said Mark Horton, director of California's Department of Public Health.

A swab test conducted in July by the Sacramento County Health Department indicated that the lunch boxes contained lead, Horton said. Several weeks of more sophisticated testing through the state Department of Toxic Substance Control confirmed that there was lead in multiple parts of the box, theAPreported.

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Mattel Apologizes to China Over Toy Recalls

In an extraordinary move, U.S. toy giant Mattel Inc. on Friday issued a public apology to China over the recall of Chinese-made toys. Mattel said it was to blame for design flaws in the toys and said its recalls of lead-tainted toys were more extensive than necessary.

"Our reputation has been damaged lately by these recalls," Thomas A. Dombrowski, Mattel's vice president for worldwide operations, said in a meeting with Chinese product safety chief Li Changjiang, theAssociated Pressreported.

"And Mattel takes full responsibility for these recalls and apologizes personally to you, and the Chinese people, and all of our customers who received the toys," Dombrowski said.

In recent months, concerns about lead paint and tiny magnets that could be swallowed prompted Mattel to order three high-profile recalls of more than 21 million Chinese-made toys.

Dombrowski said the "vast majority of those products that were recalled were the result of a design flaw in Mattel's design, not through a manufacturing flaw in China's manufacturers," theAPreported. Only a small percentage of the recalled toys were lead-tainted, he noted.