Wendy Rigby | Eyewitness News

Local pediatricians are beginning to get more and more questions from parents concerned about their children's possible exposure to harmful levels of lead.

Last week, thousands of toys made in China were pulled from store shelves after they were found to use a lead-based paint.

"There's been some concerns about the toys, and the things they're painted with, the glazing that they have," said Dr. Juan Jose Ferreris, a pediatrician at Children First Pediatrics.

Vrushali Joshi, who has a 3-year-old child and a baby, has heard the news about kids toys being pulled from the shelves, and she knows how kids put toys in their mouths.

"With this age group, you cannot tell what they're doing. So many times, it's just that they play with it, they have it in their mouth, chew on it, they use their hands," she said.

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Last week, the Consumer Product Safety Commission recalled almost a million toys, including Fisher-Price toys with popular characters like Dora, Diego and Sesame Street characters.

The Chinese paint that covers them had unacceptable levels of lead. But how can lead poison children?

"The biggest problem is neuro-cognitive problems, or basically decreased IQ. We do know that chronic, long-term lead exposure, at fairly high levels, can decrease a child's IQ level," Ferreris said.

Doctors can perform any easy finger prick test as a screening for lead exposure. If the levels come back high, then physicians may order a conventional blood test for more precise screening.

It's important to check your child if you have any doubts, since there is no obvious symptoms of lead poisoning.

"That's the scary part about it, is that you can be quietly exposing yourself to some lead or your children to some lead and not be aware of it until maybe it's a little late," Ferreris said.

There are treatments available, both diet and drug therapies, for children who have been exposed to high levels of lead.

If you have any doubt about your child's exposure, talk to your doctor about scheduling a blood test.