Mattel Inc. has announced further recalls affecting millions more Chinese-made toys due to lead paint and the presence of small, powerful magnets that could be ingested by children.

In total, about 18.2 million toys are affected worldwide -- with more than 900,000 of them in Canada, and about 9.5 million in the U.S.

U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission acting chair Nancy Nord listed the recalled products during a news conference on Tuesday in Washington.

The following toys are affected:

• Play sets with small magnets, including Polly Pocket dolls, Batman Magna, Doggie Daycare and Shonen Jump's OnePiece Triple Slash Zolo Roronoa actions figures. Approximately 890,000 of those are in Canada;
• 436,000 Pixar Sarge die-cast toy cars made in China. Of those, 32,800 were reportedly sold in Canada between May and August;
• 683,000 Barbie and Tanner play sets (There is no indication they were sold in Canada).

A full list of product numbers can be found on the Mattel website here.

Health Canada is monitoring the recall but has not received any reports of associated injury or illness.

Nord stressed no injuries have been reported, and the recall is intentionally broad in order to minimize the risk of any injuries occurring. However, she said the magnets and lead paint both present health risks for children.

"This agency has been warning about the dangers of small magnets for more than a year," she said during a news conference Tuesday.

There have been reports of the magnets falling off of the toys. Since Mattel recalled Polly Pocket play sets on Nov. 11 of last year, three children suffered intestinal perforations and required surgery after swallowing more than one magnet.

"If more than one magnet is swallowed they can attract inside the body, causing intestinal perforations, infections and blockages," Nord said on Tuesday.

"With respect to the lead issue, more than 250,000 Sarge die-cast toys are being recalled because the surface paint contains lead."

The toy is a promotional product from the Pixar movie "Cars" and looks like a small military jeep.

According to Health Canada, children who ingest lead can suffer from adverse health effects, including headaches, vomiting, irritability, weakness, weight loss, a poor attention span and slowed speech.

Lead paint has been banned in the U.S. since 1978.

Mattel has stopped selling the affected products and instructed that the toys be pulled from shelves. The company has also made a production change to address the problem, and is replacing the recalled products, Nord said.

Mattel said the Chinese painting subcontractor violated Mattel's standards and used paint from a non-authorized third-party supplier.

In response, Mattel is implementing what they call a "three-point check system,'' which involves testing every batch of paint at every vendor, ramping up unscheduled inspections and testing every production run of finished toys.

Toys made in China comprise about 70 to 80 per cent of toys sold in the world.

Earlier recall

The new recall comes less than two weeks after Mattel recalled about 1 million Chinese-made toys in Canada and the U.S. because of high lead content in paint.

On August 1, Mattel's Fisher-Price division recalled toys featuring characters such as Dora the Explorer, Big Bird and Elmo.

Days after the Fisher-Price recall, Chinese officials temporarily banned the toys' manufacturer, Lee Der Industrial Co., from exporting products. A media report Monday said Lee Der co-owner, Cheung Shu-hung, committed suicide at a warehouse over the weekend.

Health and safety standards in the country have come under scrutiny recently as the one-year countdown to the 2008 Olympics begins.

Tainted toothpaste, pet food, seafood exports and bad tires have all been taken off the shelves in recent months.

Mattel chairman and chief executive officer Robert Eckert apologized for the recent issues.

"Mattel has rigorous procedures, and we will continue to be vigilant and unforgiving in enforcing quality and safety," Eckert said in a statement.

"We don't want to have recalls, but we don't hesitate to take quick and effective action to correct issues as soon as we've identified them to ensure the safety of our products and the safety of children."

Gov't concerned: Harper

During an Ottawa news conference about his cabinet shuffle, Prime Minister Stephen Harper was asked about the toy recall and whether it was time for a "buy Canadian" policy.

"We always have to be careful in terms of anything like a 'buy Canadian' policy with respects to our international obligations, and there are restrictions in that regard," He said.

"With respects to the growing concerns with the quality of imported products from some parts of the world ... I can tell you the government is concerned about this. We are examining this carefully," he said.

Harper noted that this is a big issue in other countries, most notably the United States.

The issue will be raised during the upcoming NAFTA summit in Montebello, Que. next week, he said.