McDonald’s recalls toxic ‘Shrek’ glasses

The 16-ounce glasses,being sold for about $2 each as part of a promotional campaign for the movie Shrek Forever After,were available in four designs depicting the characters Shrek,Princess Fiona,Puss in Boots and Donkey.

In the animated comedy,which was released on May 21 as the latest installment of the successful DreamWorks Animation franchise.

The agency noted in its recall notice that “long-term exposure to cadmium can cause adverse health effects”. Cadmium is a known carcinogen that research shows also can cause bone softening and severe kidney problems.

In the case of the Shrek-themed glassware,the potential danger would be long-term exposure to low levels of cadmium,which could leach from the paint onto a child’s hand,then enter the body if the child puts that unwashed hand to the mouth.

Cadmium can be used to create reds and yellows in paint. A McDonald’s USA spokesman Bill Whitman said a pigment in paint on the glasses contained cadmium.

An agency spokesman,Scott Wolfson,would not specify the amounts of cadmium that leached from the paint in tests,but said the amounts were “slightly above the protective level currently being developed by the agency”. Wolfson said the glasses have “far less cadmium than the children’s metal jewellery that have previously been recalled”.