DETROIT -- Nearly one in five toys under this year's Christmas tree could be something you don't want your kids touching, sucking or chewing.

Testing of toys and baby products purchased mostly from chain and independent stores in Michigan by an Ann Arbor environmental center found that 17 percent have lead levels exceeding federal standards for paint on toys.

But the paint standards don't apply to the lead and other metals and chemicals found in many of the toys. That's because many of the toxics were embedded in the products, raising questions about whether tougher rules are needed.

Ann Arbor's Ecology Center checked more than 1,200 items and presented its findings to federal regulators late Tuesday. The center said it is one of the most extensive private surveys of toxic materials in toys ever conducted.

"It's simply unacceptable," said Rep. John Dingell, a Democrat and chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. "The Ecology Center's findings are troubling. Unfortunately, they are not surprising."

Dingell has introduced legislation that could come up in his committee next week that would extend the paint standards to lead found anywhere in products.

Congress also has raised concerns that there are too few inspectors to keep up with the avalanche of imported products.

Earlier this year, the federal government raised concerns about lead in products imported from China, which was identified earlier this year for importing toys containing lead. But some of the toys with high levels of lead in the Ecology Center's test were made in the United States.

One tested doll had 4,300 parts per million lead in its hand and arm -- more than seven times the recall standard if it had been painted. The decades-old 600-ppm federal paint standard triggers a recall if found in toys. The American Academy of Pediatrics advocates a much lower level -- 40 ppm -- to protect children.

Overall, the Ecology Center tests found lead in more than a third of the sampled products. Lead levels were especially high in metal jewelry from dollar stores. The testing also showed high levels of cadmium, mercury and arsenic in some toys, as well as polyvinyl chloride, which often has chemical additives that can leach out of the plastic.

Just 28 percent of the toys were free of metals and chemicals sought in the tests.

The center used X-ray fluorescence equipment, which measures lead and other substances on the surface and up to one-eighth-inch deep on the toy.

The center cautioned that the results aren't definitive, since different batches of the same toy, or toys made at different times, may have different suppliers. Most testing was done this year; some jewelry was tested in 2006.

Some companies voluntarily recall toys when they become aware they have high levels of lead or chemicals, but except for lead paint, it's not required by law.

A Toys 'R' Us spokeswoman said Tuesday that the company investigates any reports of lead or other toxic materials in its products.

There are no government recall standards for mercury, arsenic and phthalates, a class of chemicals added to plastic to soften it.

"The point is not to alarm parents, but to make them aware that these things are in toys and the government and manufacturers are not telling them about it," said Tracey Easthope, project director for the Ecology Center.

Teething rings, rattles, backpacks, dolls, jewelry, shoes, play mats, bath toys, baby books and crib toys were among the items the Ecology Center, with some help from environmental groups in other states, tested.

Tests on 523 pieces of children's jewelry, such as charms and necklaces, found 37 percent contained lead. Some jewelry was 90 percent lead. In the United States and other countries, some children have died after swallowing jewelry with high lead levels.

A study published in November said small amounts of lead are more dangerous to the brains of small children than previously thought and can damage their IQs.

Besides paint, lead was found in fabric and plastic toy parts, said Jeff Gearhart, campaign director for the Ecology Center.

These are some of the toys that showed high levels of lead:

• A giraffe from a My Pasture play set at 6,733 ppm.

• Tyrell Katz vinyl backpack, 7,132 ppm.

• Circo shoes, 5,197 ppm.

• A Starletz Dinner Party tea set, with tiny cups and saucers, 12,635 ppm.

The risk is greatest for children younger than 6, who are most likely to put toys in their mouths or play with toys and then put their hands in their mouths.

Easthope said generalizations can't be made about toys made in China. Toys for the study came from stores such as Target, Babies "R" Us, Dollar Tree and Tree Town Toys.

"We did find safe toys, so it's clear that these chemicals and metals aren't necessary," Easthope said.

Martha Perry, 34, said her mom bought her daughter, Isabella, a Spanish-speaking Elmo toy that she absolutely loved earlier this year.

But the toy was recalled. She noted that it was made in China. "We're absolutely not buying any toy that says it's made in China," she said.

Dr. Ted Schettler, a public and environmental health specialist with the Science and Environmental Health Network, said there is virtually no regulation of what's in children's toys.

"The Consumer Product Safety Commission argues that their job is not to test every toy that comes into the U.S., and they're not doing that or even beginning to be equipped to do that," he said. "Obviously, there's not any screening going on at the borders as there is supposed to be for other types of products."

He said that if a child's toy is recalled for lead or is found to contain other chemicals, the best thing to do is remove it from the home.

"It's always a good idea to have kids screened for lead," Schettler said. "If you ... have a high lead level, you can start looking for the sources of it."

The center's full report and database of tested toys is available at www.healthytoys.org.