AUGUSTA – Responding to growing concern over the presence of lead in toys and other items meant for children, state health officials on Monday called for greater vigilance in protecting the health of Maine youngsters.

Lead, a dangerous heavy metal that can permanently affect the growth of developing brains and neurological systems, is most commonly associated with peeling paint in and around older buildings. But lead also is turning up in millions of new toys, children’s furniture and other items, a result of the growing availability of consumer goods manufactured in countries where safety and environmental standards are less rigorous than in the United States.

In the past year, the federal Consumer Product Safety Commission has issued several product recalls related to lead. The most recent – for a pint-sized painted table-and-chair set made in China – was issued earlier this month. Earlier recalls have targeted sports figure bobbleheads distributed by the McDonald’s food chain, fat sticks of sidewalk art chalk, colorful plastic toys endorsed by the LaLeche League and cheap plastic jewelry available through vending machines.

“There have been at least five recalls of toys and other items in the past five months,” said Dr. Dora Anne Mills, director of Maine’s Bureau of Health. “But we know there are millions of toys already in Maine homes, where children are exposed to them on a daily basis.”

Speaking at a State House news conference Monday, Mills said new items manufactured in India, Mexico and China are most likely to contain lead. Another high-risk category is antique furniture, which is likely to be painted with lead-containing pigments.

Mills emphasized that all children are at risk from such household items. A pediatrician and Maine’s chief health officer, Mills said a recent survey of her own home revealed toys and other items contaminated with lead, including a fancy new toy firetruck, big enough to be pedaled by her 2-year-old.

Mills had the truck on display in the Hall of Flags on Monday, along with a child’s antique spindle rocker that belonged to her grandfather in the 1880s and some glass mugs painted with images from the cartoon strip “Garfield.” The mugs, now considered collector’s items, were widely distributed by a fast-food chain in the 1970s.

Using the display to illustrate the range of products containing lead, Mills called on parents, grandparents and other caregivers to take three key steps to protect the children in their care:

. Check on the Internet to see if toys and other products children have access to are among those that have been recalled.

. Purchase a consumer lead-testing kit, available for about $10 at many hardware stores. These simple kits allow parents, day-care providers and other adults who care for children to test items in their home for lead.

. Ask health care providers to screen children for exposure to lead. All children under age 6 should be assessed for risk factors, which include living in an older home and having a parent who works around lead who might bring the dust home on clothing. Children in low-income families are twice as likely to be exposed. High-risk children should have a simple blood test to determine if they’ve been exposed.

Very high levels of lead in the bloodstream can be treated to minimize damage, but early detection of even minor elevations decreases the risk of long-term neurological problems such as mental retardation, learning disabilities and other lifelong problems.

“By the time a child is symptomatic, the damage is usually done,” Mills noted. “Avoiding exposure to lead is really the key.”

Consumers can check online to see if their children’s toys or other items have been recalled for lead content at the Web site of the federal Consumer Product Safety Commission: www.cpsc.gov.

Information on Maine’s comprehensive Lead Poisoning Prevention Program is available at www.mainepublichealth.gov or phone (800) 698-3624.

Additional resources are available from the private, nonprofit Maine Lead Action Project, www.maineleadaction.org or phone 871-7905.