"Suit Sees Lead Risk in Bounce Houses"

"SAN FRANCISCO -- It may be one of the most beloved activities of hyperactive children and the parents who love them: bouncing in a bounce house [Ed. Note: aka 'Moon Bounce']. But, according to Attorney General Jerry Brown of California, it may also be toxic.

A lawsuit filed Wednesday by Mr. Brown’s office claims that some of the inflatable bounce houses that help entertain -- and exhaust -- the young guests at children’s parties have unsafe levels of lead, sometimes dozens of times the federal limit.

'I was surprised,' said Mr. Brown, who is running for governor in a state with 2.7 million children under age 5. 'But as we test more and more of these products, we find dangers.'

The suit was prompted by a an investigation by the Center for Environmental Health in Oakland, Calif., an advocacy group that tested dozens of bounce houses, concentrating on the vinyl that gives them their bounce."

Jesse McKinley reports for the New York Times August 11, 2010.