Taiwanese-Made Dolls Tainted With Malathion, County Warns

Los Angeles County health officials warned Friday that “Comfy Kid” Taiwanese-made dolls contain the insecticide malathion and other potentially dangerous chemicals.

It was the second time this month that the county has issued a warning about tainted dolls made in Taiwan.

The importer, Abernathy Closther of Westbury, N.Y., sold about 1 million of the dolls by mail order across the country, said Anastacio Medina, chief of the hazardous waste control program of the county Department of Health Services.

“It is the department’s position that children should not be playing with these dolls, that they represent a potential risk to the health of the child on the basis of long-term affects,” Medina said Friday.

Children Affected

Three people called Friday to say that their children suffered lethargy, irritation, vomiting or other minor symptoms after playing with the dolls they got for Christmas, he said.

Parents began bringing the foot-long, yarn-haired toys to health officials about two weeks ago after noticing a nauseating kerosene-like smell, Medina said.

Tests from private laboratories found stuffing in six dolls contained phenol and napthalene, along with other chemicals. Four dolls also were contaminated with low levels of malathion, which he described as a low-toxic, fast-dissipating pesticide.

Phenol can cause respiratory, nerve and skin damage, according to Jose Ochoa, a hygienist in the county health department.

It is still a mystery why the manufacturer used the chemicals in the dolls, Medina said.