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The suit, filed in Alameda County Superior Court, alleges the companies knowingly exposed children to lead and failed to provide warning of the risk, which is required under the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986, known as Proposition 65.
If the suit is successful, the companies could pay a $2 500 fine for each violation, according to the complaint.
Neither El Segundo-based Mattel nor New Jersey-based Toys "R" Us immediately returned calls seeking comment.
The move follows major recalls of toys, lunch boxes, children's jewellery and other goods during the last year by the US Consumer Product Safety Commission in Washington.
In June, toy maker RC2 Corp, one of the defendants in the suit recalled 1.5 million of its Thomas & Friends Wooden Railway sets. Mattel followed in August with a series of recalls of more than 2 million toy cars, trains, shape-sorters and Barbie doll accessories.
Its Fisher-Price unit also pulled Sesame Street-themed products from a line of infant and preschool toys.
The Centre for Environmental Health, an Oakland-based non-profit agency that seeks to remove harmful chemicals from daily life, applauded the suit.
The centre "has tested hundreds of toys and has revealed many with extremely high lead levels," said executive director Michael Green. "Attorney-General Brown's decision to take on the toy companies is an important step toward cleaning up this industry."
The suit, which was joined by the Los Angeles city attorney's office, also named as defendants Wal-Mart, Target, Sears, KB Toys, Costco Wholesale and others.
- AP
