An Essex County woman has filed a federal lawsuit against Amazon, claiming a trampoline she bought for her 3-year-old son caused him to develop lead poisoning.
The mother purchased the 55-inch Toddler Trampoline For Kids Lilumudm from Amazon last year that was later discovered to have contained lead-based paint, according to the lawsuit, filed Sept. 25 in U.S. District Court.
The child was diagnosed with lead poisoning on Oct. 30, 2024. His “blood levels were significantly higher than the amount needed to be classified as lead poisoning under the applicable medical guidelines,” according to the lawsuit.
The complaint states the child was injured from “the inhalation, ingestion, and exposure to lead-based paint and lead from the trampoline.”
His injuries are permanent and will affect his physical ability to concentrate. “His future health has been irreparably impaired,” the suit says, adding the child has suffered injuries to his brain and nervous system.
Amazon designed, manufactured, assembled, sold and transported the product to the woman’s home in Newark, the suit says.
The trampoline, which is still available on Amazon, sells for about $100 and is made of heavy-duty alloy steel with anti-rust and anti-corrosion protection, Amazon states on its website.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, toys and other products, especially those made outside the United States, can be a source for lead poisoning.
“Lead is used to soften plastic and to make it more flexible so that it can go back to its original shape. It may also be used in plastic toys to stabilize molecules from heat,” the CDC says on its website.
“A young child may touch the plastic toy and then ingest the dust when putting their fingers in their mouth,” the CDC says.
A spokesperson for Amazon did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the suit.
The woman is also suing the East Orange company that owns the multi-family townhouse where the woman lives with her child, claiming “hazardous lead-based paint conditions” exist within the dwelling and contributed to her son’s ill health.
The lawsuit was first filed in August in state court, then moved to federal court last month because the anticipated damages are more than $75,000, the lawsuit claims.