WASHINGTON (AP) - U.S. companies behind recent recalls of children's toys and jewelry have told Congress their Chinese suppliers assured them the products were virtually lead-free, though in one case a simple store-bought test revealed dangerous levels of the toxic metal.

Congress is investigating the recent recalls, most of them involving Chinese-made products that contained excessive amounts of lead, including some toys sold by Mattel decorated with paint that exceeded U.S. lead standards by a factor of nearly 200.

A subcommittee of the U.S. House of Representatives energy and commerce committee plans to open two days of hearings Wednesday on this year's recalls of millions of toys and other children's products.

The subcommittee is expected to examine in part the business models that allowed the companies to import the lead-laden products.

Many of the companies behind the recalls of gumball machine trinkets, toy soldiers and costume jewelry said their suppliers signed agreements to comply with U.S. lead standards, some of 19 company responses to congressional inquiries released Tuesday showed. Many suppliers also provided copies of lab results that showed the items contained only minuscule levels of lead allowed by law.

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