LAFAYETTE, N.Y. -- You're looking at $35,000 investment made by Tim Gilchrist. He's the owner of No Strings Attached Toys, a new toy store located in LaFayette. The expensive gadget is an X-Ray Fluorescence gun that measures lead levels.
"We saw all the news about all the lead paint recalls and said 'we have to do a little bit more and find ways to protect ourselves and end up selling toys that are going to be recalled,'" said Gilchrest.
Besides testing his own products, Gilchrist is offering free checks to the public.
"Anything that might be a concern or might satisfy their curiosity. We don't require any sort of purchase," Gilchrest said.
Children are making their lists and parents are checking them twice to making sure the toys their children want for Christmas are not on any of the numerous recall lists. Our Ryan Dean tells us how companies and charity organizations are conducting toy checks this holiday season.
Here's how it works. The gun goes directly on the toy, sending an X-Ray through the product. In about 30 seconds it, will give you a lead level reading, letting you know if the toy is safe.
Gilchrist says the level guidelines he follows are set by the Federal Government. Charities that distribute donated toys for the holidays, such as the Salvation Army, say they're paying close attention to the recall lists.
"We're recruiting about another 100 volunteers to help us do a sorting and screening as the toys come in," said Salvation Army Executive Director Lynn Wright.
The volunteers will be trained by the Onondaga County Health Department on what to look for.
"We've always had to do age appropriate screening, but this is a lot more in depth screen to ensure as much as possible a toy getting into the hands of a child, that the child shouldn't have," Wright said.
From high-tech to volunteers, certain measures are being taken, trying to ensure toy safety this holiday season.