A massive recall of children's hockey sticks by Bauer Hockey because of high lead paint levels prompted at least one other sports equipment maker to seek out confirmation of the safety of its own sticks.
Sher-Wood Hockey, based in Sherbrooke, Que., quickly contacted its domestic and Chinese manufacturers to ensure that the testing of its sticks, conducted by an independent lab, had not revealed any problems with lead.
"We reconfirmed with our suppliers that they continue to be in compliance," said president and chief executive officer Ralph Trott in an interview Friday. "We are always testing our sticks to ensure that they're in compliance with all local codes, including that particular issue, and we have no problems to bring to light."
After testing a junior stick, the Nike Bauer Supreme One50, Health Canada discovered the yellow paint contained a lead level of 23,000 milligrams per kilogram, about 40 times above the allowable limit. Subsequent tests over a three-week period by Bauer on its remaining 200 models of junior and youth sticks revealed that 12 others, made in a Chinese facility, were above the allowable lead limit of 600 milligrams per kilogram.
Bauer Hockey, one of the largest makers of sports equipment, promptly recalled 100,000 sticks worldwide, including 67,000 in Canada, this week.
Lead, a toxic substance, is particularly harmful to children when ingested, and even low levels of lead exposure over time can lead to neurological damage and affect a child's intellectual development. The risk increases when a child sucks, chews or eats bits of toys or other products that have lead paint. Many recent recalls have involved toys made in China.
Bauer said it had identified all the raw materials that were the source of this recall and initiated an independent third-party testing protocol for all its products.
Reebok-CCM, another large maker of sports equipment, which has manufacturers in China, Finland and Canada, said it has multiple product-testing procedures. The company stood by its testing yesterday, and didn't indicate if anything would change as a result of Bauer's recall.
"Our internal procedures are more strict than what is required by the [Consumer Product Safety Commission]in the U.S. and Health Canada," the company said in a statement.
Easton Hockey did not respond to questions on its own testing program yesterday.
Health Canada conducts random testing of consumer products used by children to make sure companies are complying with Canadian requirements. In the incident involving Bauer, Health Canada was not specifically testing hockey sticks, but rather a variety of children's products.
It informed Bauer in mid-February of the problem with the one stick, and the company began testing all its junior and young model sticks made since 2004, when it began manufacturing its products in China.
There have not been any reports of illnesses related to the hockey sticks.
The federal agency said it will continue random sampling and testing of children's products.