It seems like almost every day, when I turn on my computer, I read about yet another kids' product being recalled due to high lead content. Today was no different. Today's news involved another 300,000 or so Chinese made products that have been found to posses excess levels of lead paint and recalled.

You really have to wonder just how far does this problem stretch? How long has this been going on? I, for one, have a hard time believing that this problem has just started; it has probably been going on for a long time and only now is being watched. It is a scary thought to say the least.

Today's recall involves around a quarter million pairs of SpongeBob SquarePants address books and journals that contain harmful amounts of lead in their spiral bindings. The books were sold between June 2006 and July 2007 in stores across the U.S. Late is better than never, but for the kids who had bought the books LAST JUNE, I hate to say that the damage has probably already been done. Why did it take over a year to figure this out?

As if recalling books sold to children a year ago isn't bad enough ... the second part of the recall is even scarier. A voluntary recall was placed on Thomas and Friends and Curious George spinning tops and pails that were sold across the U.S. between July 2001 and July 2002. That's six years ago we are talking about!

The situation, which started in my mind as an unfortunate event surrounding some deadly dog food, has definitely ballooned into something much more alarming.

While it would have been nice to see these products identified at the time they entered the country, I guess it is good that they are being identified now ... better late than never after all, I suppose.

Michael Fowlkes has worked as a stock trader for seven years and spent the last two years working as an analyst for the online investment advisory service Investor's Observer.

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