Dozens of toys have been recently recalled over concerns about lead, and in past years candy and jewelry have been identified with lead. But, what do you really need to know about the health hazards?

Eyewitness News asked those questions after a co-worker even got some holiday wreaths by mail order that arrived with a warning about lead. "Warning," read the bright yellow sheet packed in with the wreath. "The following product included in this shipment contains lead and/or cadmium"

Eyewitness News asked the Kern County Public Health Department what this consumer should do. "If you have young children, you're going to have to take precautions in some way," said Dr. Portia Choi.

Dr. Choi says the consumer could hang the wreath up high, out of the reach of children. Young kids are most at risk from the dangers of lead exposure.

That's why there's alarm over kids' toys with high levels of lead, and Bakersfield resident Char Hill says she is worried. "I went through my son's toy box," she told Eyewitness News. "And I'm very cautious about what I buy this year."

With toys, the concern is kids putting them in their mouths. But, with something like a wreath can just breathing flakes off the decorations, or dust expose you to lead?

"It's less," says Dr. Choi. "Lead dust can be absorbed but much, much less than through the mouth." She says with dust there's a concern about touching it and then having the lead exposure go from the hands into the mouth.

Still, with all the recent warnings about lead why hasn't this been an issue in past years? "Over the years, through science the Centers for Disease Control, other very authoritative organizations have determined that lead poisoning occurs at lower, and lower, and lower levels," says Dr. Choi.

But, with the larger number of toys and items now identified with lead hazards --how many children suffer lead poisoning? Dr. Choi says it's a tough problem to pinpoint.

"The long-term effect is silent, in that the children's behavior could be affected, their learning might be affected. And it's silent because you think it could be any other source."

If a child has symptoms of lead exposure those could include headache, stomach pain or fatigue. Those can be difficult to spot in children.

Paint in older homes is another source of lead that concerns health experts. Heather Gonzalez says her family lives in a house like that, but she hasn't given it much thought. "I don't do anything now, but I think I should now."

Paint made before 1978 can contain lead. And health experts tell parents to be careful of areas where children can come in contact with paint dust or chips. Windowsills are a particular concern.

The County Health Department says the Centers for Disease Control recently reported that nationwide, about 4% of children up to the age of five have elevated blood lead levels. They also report about 3-million kids suffer permanent neurological damage from lead poisoning.

As for local numbers, the health department says in the year ending June 2006 they saw 110 cases of lead poisoning or elevated lead levels. In the following year, they saw 115 cases.

The bottom line advice is to get young children tested for blood lead levels, and to be sure kids wash their hands before eating or sleeping times they may put their hands into their mouths.

Dr. Choi says parents should also be careful about toys or candy made outside the U.S. The health department also has a Lead Poisoning Prevention Program which can be reached at 868-0360.

But, as for the holiday wreaths with the lead warning? "Return them," says Dr. Choi. "Manufacturers have to know that if they already know the product has lead, then it could be unsafe especially for children and pregnant women."