RR Donnelley and and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission have announced the voluntary recall of about 18,000 ESI-R Screening Materials Educational Assessment Blocks due to excessive levels of lead in the paint on the green wooden blocks.

Manufactured in China and distributed by Pearson Learning Group and Pearson Early Learning, the sets are used by schools to assess young children. Included in them are 10 green wooden blocks, a plastic yellow car, an 8-ft. white cloth ribbon, 10 black and white printed cards with shapes, a red rubber ball, and a blue plastic button.

These were sold directly to schools, examiners, and educators nationwide via sales representatives, catalogs, and the Pearson School and Pearson Learning Web sites from January 2003 through November 2007 for about $23. These materials are also part of a larger ESI-R kit that sold for about $120.

If you have one of these sets, you should immediately stop using the blocks and contact RR Donnelley, the importer, for free replacement materials. RR Donnelley is also directly contacting purchasers and posting information on their Web site. For more information, contact RR Donnelley at (888) 988-2940 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday.