Retail giant Target Corp announced that it issued a voluntary recall of Chinese-made toy gardening tools and children's lawn furniture because they contained "excessive levels of lead," the company said in a statement. The recall is almost simultaneous with a similar RC2 Corporation recall of its popular wooden "Thomas & Friends" toy trains and some "Knights of the Sword" toys.

The latest list of recalled Chinese toys includes:

* 350,000 children's toy gardening tools and chairs sold at Target stores from August 2006 through August 2007, including the Happy Giddy Gardening Tools and the Sunny Patch Children's Chairs

* 200,000 five Thomas & Friends wooden train products: the all-black cargo car included only in the Brendam Fishing Dock set, the toad vehicle, the olive-green Sodor cargo box included only in the Deluxe Cranky the Crane Set, and all-green maple tree top and green signal base accessories

* 16,000 24-inch toy rakes branded "Robbie Ducky Garden Collection Rake" sold exclusively at Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft stores from January 2007 through September 2007

* 10,000 Children's Puppet Theaters from Guidecraft Inc. of Englewood, N.J., sold for about $90 from June 2006 through August 2007 at various stores and online retailers

* 800 units of three "Knights of the Sword" products from RC2 Corp sold at specialty toy stores nationwide from April 2004 through March 2006

* 23,500 TOBY & ME jewelry sets from TOBY N.Y.C. of New York, sold at T.J. Maxx, Marshalls, A.J. Wright, Cracker Barrel, and Shopko stores nationwide from August 2006 through August 2007

* 850 Children's Spinning Wheel-Metal Necklaces from Rhode Island Novelty of Cumberland, R.I., made of a 30-inch chain and a spinning metal pendant and sold from November 2006 through May 2007

* 670 swing sets made in the U.S. by BCI Burke Company of Fond du Lac, Wis., which allegedly posed a fall hazard

"On behalf of everyone at RC2, let me personally apologize for the worry an additional recall creates for parents everywhere," Chief Executive Curt Stoetling said in an official statement. "We deeply regret the burden that recalling toys creates for parents."

Lead poisoning can permanently harm children, but it typically doesn't happen overnight and it takes a significant amount of lead. No injuries have been reported due to Chinese-made lead-painted toys, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).

The wave of recalls is not due to changes by Chinese manufacturers, but to changes in the testing system employed in the United States. Most companies have started to test all their products for lead paint after the first recalls, which eventually triggered the additional recalls. However, China has apparently proven that the toys were OK by European standards, as they only had very small amounts of lead. Chinese authorities confirmed they weren't up to tougher U.S. standards, and promised tough and quick action to eliminate further problems.

After Mattel Inc pulled from store shelves millions of Chinese-made toys this summer, The Walt Disney Company decided earlier this month to start testing toys featuring its characters. As part of this program, products already on store shelves will be randomly tested. "It sends the message that we are looking over their shoulders," the chairman of Disney’s consumer products division, Andy Mooney said.

Also, several contractors said they will review their collaboration with Chinese manufacturers after product-safety measures are revised.

Check http://www.cpsc.gov/ for up-to-date information and instructions on how to deal with the recalled toys.