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Author Topic: McDonald's "Shrek" Themed Drinking Glasses Recalled-Cadmium Tainted  (Read 2194 times)
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MuffyBee
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« on: June 04, 2010, 04:26:12 PM »

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/top/all/7036549.html
McDonald's pulls 12M cadmium-tainted Shrek glasses
June 4, 2010


This image provided by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission shows “Shrek Forever After 3D” Collectable Drinking Glasses being promoted by McDonald's Corp that are being recalled because the designs on the glasses contain cadmium. (AP Photo/U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission)

 LOS ANGELES — Cadmium has been discovered in the painted design on "Shrek"-themed drinking glasses being sold nationwide at McDonald's, forcing the burger giant to recall 12 million of the cheap U.S.-made collectibles while dramatically expanding contamination concerns about the toxic metal beyond imported children's jewelry.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, which announced the voluntary recall early Friday, warned consumers to immediately stop using the glasses; McDonald's said it would post instructions on its website next week regarding refunds.

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 debuted May 21 as the latest installment of the successful DreamWorks Animation franchise, the voice of Shrek is performed by Mike Myers of "Austin Powers" fame, Cameron Diaz performs as Princess Fiona, Antonio Banderas as Puss in Boots and Eddie Murphy voices Donkey. The movie has been No. 1 at the box office since its release.

The CPSC 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 his or her mouth.

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

"A very small amount of cadmium can come to the surface of the glass, and in order to be as protective as possible of children, CPSC and McDonald's worked together on this recall," said CPSC spokesman Scott Wolfson. He 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 jewelry that CPSC has previously recalled."

Concerns about cadmium exposure emerged in January, when The Associated Press reported that some items of children's jewelry sold at major national chains contained up to 91 percent of the metal. Federal regulators worry that kids could ingest cadmium by biting, sucking or even swallowing contaminated pendants and bracelets.

The consumer protection agency has issued three recalls this spring for jewelry highlighted in the AP stories, including products sold at Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer; at Claire's, a major jewelry and accessories chain in North America and Europe; and at discount and dollar stores.

Those recalls all involved children's metal jewelry — and all of that jewelry was made in China.

Manufactured by ARC International of Millville, N.J., the glasses were to be sold from May 21 into June. Roughly seven million of the glasses had been sold; another approximately five million are in stores or have not yet been shipped, said Whitman.

Associated Press reporters tried unsuccessfully to buy the glasses late Thursday at McDonald's in New York, Los Angeles and northern New Jersey but were alternately told the merchandise was sold out, no longer available or "there'll be more tomorrow."

The company that makes the drinking glasses said it only learned of the problem late Thursday and will look into it. Tom Reed, vice president of human resources at Arc International's plant in Millville, N.J., said the company received a copy of a McDonald's memo on the recall but has not heard anything else.

Reed would not say where the paint was made or whether it's used in Arc's other products. Arc is based in France and owns the Pyrex brand of cookware in Europe.

McDonald's said it was asking customers to stop using the glasses "out of an abundance of caution."

"We believe the Shrek glassware is safe for consumer use," Whitman said. "However, again to ensure that our customers receive safe products from us, we made the decision to stop selling them and voluntarily recall these products effective immediately."

Whitman said that as the CPSC develops new protocols and standards for cadmium in consumer products, "we adjust as necessary to ensure that our customers can continue to trust what they receive from McDonald's."

Federal scrutiny of the glasses began last week. The Washington office of U.S. Rep. Jackie Speier, a California Democrat who has proposed strictly limiting cadmium in jewelry, received what a spokesman described as an anonymous tip that testing with an X-ray gun that estimates how much cadmium an item contains indicated the metal was present in the glass paint. Speier's office requested samples of the glasses from the tipster, and upon receiving them May 27 sent them to the CPSC for further investigation.

"Our children's health should not depend on the consciences of anonymous sources," Speier said in a statement Friday. "Although McDonald's did the right thing by recalling these products, we need stronger testing standards to ensure that all children's products are proven safe before they hit the shelves."

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« Last Edit: June 04, 2010, 10:08:51 PM by MuffyBee » Logged

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MuffyBee
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« Reply #1 on: June 04, 2010, 05:17:31 PM »

http://www.kwtx.com/health/headlines/95613239.html
(Video)
If You Have One Of These, Don’t Use It
McDonald’s has a warning for customers who’ve purchased glasses promoting the new “Shrek” movie; don’t use them, they contain a toxic metal.


June 4, 2010)—McDonald’s is recalling 12 million “Shrek” drinking glasses that it sold at its restaurants for about $2 each.

The painted designs on the promotional glasses contain the toxic metal cadmium, which is a known carcinogen that can cause bone softening and severe kidney problems.
Click here to find out more!

The glasses came in four designs showing the characters Shred, Fiona, Puss n’ Boots and Donkey.

They were sold in May and June.

Customers who purchased the glasses should stop using them immediately, McDonald’s said.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said Friday it’s illegal to resell or attempt to resell a recalled product.

Consumers may call McDonald’s at (800) 244-6227 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. CDT Monday through Friday or go to McDonald’s website for instructions on how to obtain refunds.

McDonald’s Website http://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en/home.html

The New Jersey company that makes the glasses says it only learned of the problem late Thursday and is now looking into it.

Tom Reed, vice president of human resources at Arc International's plant in Millville, said the company received a copy of a McDonald's memo on the recall of 12 million glasses, but has not heard anything else.

Reed would not say where the paint was made or whether it's used in Arc's other products.

Arc is based in France and owns the Pyrex brand of cookware in Europe.

McDonald’s Website http://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en/home.html
« Last Edit: June 04, 2010, 10:09:14 PM by MuffyBee » Logged

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« Reply #2 on: June 09, 2010, 01:18:53 PM »

http://www.csmonitor.com/Money/new-economy/2010/0608/Small-bonus-in-McDonalds-Shrek-glasses-recall-3-refund-for-2-glass
Small bonus in McDonalds Shrek glasses recall: $3 refund for $2 glass
McDonalds hopes to collect all 12 million collectible glasses after announcing the Shrek glasses recall June 4.
June 8, 2010

Starting on Wednesday, customers who bought the recalled Shrek glasses from McDonalds can return the collectibles to restaurant locations nationwide.
And, unlike most recalls, they may show a small profit for the extra time and hassle of taking the glasses back – up to $1 a glass.

Starting in May, customers could buy four versions of the glasses, decorated with pictures of Shrek, Fiona, Puss n’ Boots, and Donkey, for $2.50 apiece. If they bought a McDonalds meal, each glass cost only $2.

On Tuesday, the company announced it would refund all customers $3 for each glass, which were recalled because they contained a toxic chemical. The extra money is to account for sales tax, according to a company spokeswoman.

Even in a high-tax state like California, however, that adds only 22 cents or less to the tab (taking local taxes into account). So if customers bought a meal and a glass at the same time, they could reap a profit of at least 78 cents per glass.

That's no windfall. And most or all of it will be eaten up by the gas people use driving back to McDonalds. Still, how many times do you get a little extra from a recall?

Roy Phillips, an administrator with the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), which handles recalls, has only seen it once or twice. McDonalds is concerned with "providing good customer service and wants to get every [glass] back," he said.

McDonalds announced June 4 that it was voluntarily recalling some 12 million of the promotional drinking glasses after traces of cadmium, a toxic chemical, was detected in paint used on the exterior of the glasses. The items were made in the United States.

Working with the CPSC, McDonald’s recalled the glasses “in an abundance of caution” after the cadmium traces were discovered. Rep. Jackie Speier (D) of California alerted the CPSC of the potential risk after being tipped off by an anonymous caller. Before they were distributed, the glasses were found to meet federal and state safety requirements.
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  " Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts."  - Daniel Moynihan
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