We have another toy recall on our hands today. This one involves one of our most beloved icons, Winnie the Pooh.

Today's recall involves around 90,000 items, 70,400 of which were imported by J.C. Penney Company (NYSE: JCP) and feature the beloved Walt Disney (NYSE: DIS) character Winnie the Pooh. The culprit is, once again, excessive levels of lead paints. The actual products J.C. Penney was forced to recall were Winnie the Pooh playsets and decorative ornaments with a horse-theme, as well as art kits made in Taiwan and Vietnam.

The good news is that many retailers like J.C. Penney are doing their best to try to keep these toxic toys from landing in the hands of children. Earlier this summer, the company decided to hire an independent laboratory to run tests on all of its painted toys. These independent evaluations, which started in August, are credited with catching today's recalled toys.

In an effort to better understand the lead-in-toys scandal, I had a chance today to talk to an industry expert on the topic. Dr. Marcia Stone holds a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry and is Founder/President of Hybrivet Systems, a manufacturer of lead-testing equipment for industry and home use. She has worked in the lead testing field for 15 years.

I asked Dr, Stone why manufacturers would use lead paint? She explained that "Lead in paint provides a hard, glossy, pretty finish, the reason it was once used extensively in expensive housing. Leaded paint is also easy to work with and inexpensive."

What lead-containing products have you found on American shelves that consumers should be concerned about?
"The scandal over lead in children's jewelry is not over; we continue to find these products for sale," said Stone. She told me manufacturers will use a core of lead in cheap jewelry and cover it with nickel plating or paint, or use a solder containing lead in its construction. Children often chew on their jewelry, and as little as three milligrams of lead, about the size of three grains of sugar, can kill a child. Since lead has a sweet taste, the propensity for children to ingest it is even greater.